Anachronistic
by Muse-Calliope
Summary: Her once innocent mind was consumed by the demons of tragedy. Now her only hope is to undo the wrongs of the past. With a bit courage and her handy-dandy Time Turner, she shall regain what was lost and maybe even more...
1. I: Prelusion

Title: Anachronistic

Authors: Muse Calliope

Category: Angst/Drama

Rated: PG-13

Summary: Due to tragic circumstances, Hermione decides to go back to the past. She knows it's dangerous but now she's extremely desperate. She knows there are some serious repercussions but they can't be as bad as things are now…

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**................................**

"'Begin at the beginning,' the King said, gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end; then stop.' "

-_ Alice in Wonderland_, Lewis Carroll

**................................**  

Chapter One: Prelusion

            _Blood and chaos everywhere, people bleeding, people dying…_ Hermione Granger shot up from her bed, breathing heavily, and thinking about the events that happened just yesterday. The image of a dead Harry Potter appeared in her mind. Her best friend was lying on the ground, lifeless, next to one of the greatest evil wizard of all time. Suddenly, she saw her other best friend, Ron Weasley, unconscious in his bed at St. Mungo's. She remembered the details of how he got there quite clearly.

          It was at the final battle between the forces of Light and Darkness in the wizarding world. After months of a brutal stalemate, it all came down to giving Harry enough space and time to take down Voldemort. Once he was gone, the Order was sure that all of his minions would give up quickly. Yet in all of their strategizing, the Order had forgotten to consider what a powerful force one of Voldemort's most faithful followers could be.

          Bellatrix Lestrange was certifiably insane. Hermione knew for sure because that was what the reluctant healers assigned to treat Bellatrix had said. No one thought that the death of her beloved master would cause her to go on a killing spree against all of Harry Potter's loved ones. And of course, the nearest, most convenient loved one was Hermione. She had cautiously snuck around all the fighting between Death Eaters and members of the Order with Ron so that they could watch Harry and give him whatever support they could.

          Weeks earlier, Hermione had discovered a charm, which allowed the user to transfer power from himself to one who the user wished to protect. Naturally, Hermione studied and perfected it until she and Ron could safely help Harry. Unfortunately, the charm required the user to be within a radius of a meter from the receiver to work fully. And for something as important as the defeat of Voldemort, the spell had to work at its maximum potential.

          So there they were, two scared sixteen year olds, crouching behind some bushes near the edge of the lake. The majority of the battle was taking place by the entrance to Hogwarts castle but the most important fight was separated from all of that, as if that was another world entirely, which Hermione reasoned, it probably was.

          The duel seemed to last forever. While Harry began to show signs of fatigue and hesitation, the Dark Lord looked almost completely comfortable. The key word being almost. Hermione could see that his moves were become less and less showy or embellished and more and more effectively aimed to cause the maximum amount of damage with minimum effort. She guessed this was as close as he got to being nervous as possible and with good reason, too.

          After the fiasco in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry, Dumbledore decided that keeping secrets from Harry was not going to lead to "favorable outcomes". Thus he began to divulge more secrets to Harry, to induct Harry into the Order of the Phoenix, and to even take Harry as his apprentice after he expressed his determination to fight Voldemort. The Boy Who Lived soon grew to be more powerful than Hermione thought he was capable of, but then again, he was always underestimated, one of his many advantages.

          Often times, she and Ron were left out of any of these activities, since Dumbledore wanted to have few students involved in the war as possible and Harry was the main reason many were involved. Though this led to the decline of the Defense Association, or "Dumbledore's Army", Hermione and Ron were never ones to abandon Harry so quickly and they soon found a way to help on their own.

          Now that the time had come to implement her brilliant plan, Hermione was not so sure anymore. What if something went wrong? What if there was an unknown side-effect that was not listed in the books? With rare, old spells like this one, you could never be too sure. But now was not the time to doubt, especially with Harry's tired limbs starting to have trouble dodging those curses.

          She elbowed Ron sharply before looking into his eyes for confirmation. Upon receiving it, Hermione stood up and recited the incantation first, so as not to overwhelm Harry with the incoming power. Ron then followed suit, before collapsing on his knees next to her, as she lay in the grass on her back. Slowly, they pulled themselves up and peeked over the top of the bush they were currently situated behind. What she saw caused her to almost gasp in surprise.

          Harry looked magnificent. There was no other way to put it. Power radiated around and through him, almost igniting in the air, as he stood tall and straight, not a single sign of fatigue left showing. His face, however, betrayed a look of confusion so great, it was almost comical. He had no idea as to where his newfound power came from, as Ron and Hermione thought it would only hinder their plans if he did, but it was comforting and familiar, like the happy days he spent at the Burrow with everyone before heading home to Hogwarts.

          As though he feared the power would leave him soon, Harry quickly raised his wand and said the two most feared words in the wizarding world. The expected green light rushed towards the Dark Lord, hitting him dead in the chest while he still remained in shock. _Harry always did have excellent aim_, Hermione thought rather smugly.

          Voldemort stumbled backwards, still rather shocked, with a considerable hole in his chest, but still alive. A smirk of triumph began to appear on his face before he fell over clutching his torso, which was now being incinerated starting from the hole in his chest and working outward. Hermione dragged herself out of the bushes with Ron, supporting each other, towards Harry, who was standing where he saw, but now with a look of horror and disgust on his face.

            _So this is what happens when three spirit energies cast a single Killing Curse upon a single person_, Hermione thought with the morbidly scientific part of her mind. The victim, though Voldemort could hardly be called that, was killed effectively, but in the most painful way possible. The three stayed and watched, partly out of macabre fascination and partly out of a deep desire to make sure Voldemort was gone for good this time.

          The Dark Lord's agonizing screams echoed throughout the battlefield, halting most duels. A few Death Eaters completely abandoned their duels to rescue their master, but they were quickly stopped, except for one that most Aurors feared too much to attack. Yet, the trio's concentration was so great that they did not notice any of it. Harry had not even thought to ask where his best friends suddenly appeared from.

          Voldemort's body was slowly disintegrating, as he desperately tried to stop any further damage to his newly remade body. But there was nothing to be done. Nobody had ever heard of this before, let alone tried to reverse it and the odds were against him. Eventually, the Dark Lord seemed to give up trying to save himself, but rather than die peaceful, he grew angry and attack. First, he threw a Cruciatus Curse, which hit Hermione and sent her to the ground, writhing in pain. Then, as his arm was rapidly being destroyed, he let some killing Curses fly, but most of them were wild and hit nothing.

          One, however, seemed to hit its target exactly. No one even heard Voldemort's last screams, as Ron and Hermione, now free from the Cruciatus Curse, ran as fast as they could to their best friend's side. Not that it would do much use, for the Boy Who Lived was dead. A strained expression now covered his face, after his face muscles forcefully relaxed from their previously scrunched up position. His eyes were completely blank, a look no one had ever seen in them. After all, Harry Potter was always full of life and emotions, whether good or bad.

          Hermione let out a choked sob as realization hit her. Before they had reached Harry's dead body, hope still remained. He had survived killing Curses before; he could do it again. Besides, with the energy of three in him, a Killing Curse could not possible do that much damage. She looked to Ron for confirmation, but all she saw was his weeping form. It was the first time she had seen Ron cry.

          Suddenly, the happy end she imagined for them vanished. She could still become a professor at Hogwarts and Ron could still become an Auror at the Ministry but what was the point? Harry could not become an Auror, or a professional Quidditch player, or a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, or anything else he had dreamed of. As long as he was not there, the happy-go-lucky trinity was a worthless duo. Not that she or Ron had no strengths of their own but they could not stay together. Harry was the soul that bound the three of them as one.

          Hermione would have continued on the same train of thought had Bellatrix Lestrange's deranged shriek not interrupted her. Bellatrix, after seeing the last remnants of her master burn up, let loose a feral cry. She turned to see the Boy Who Lived's body being cradled in Hermione's arms and came to the logical conclusion that he killed the Dark Lord. While most other Death Eaters would have given up in despair, Bellatrix's faith only grew more fervent. She picked up her fallen master's wand and began to throw curses everywhere. A few hit the officials who had run after her once it became clear she was trying to help the Voldemort.

          Eventually, Order members were able to restrain Bellatrix, but she broke free once more. Facing the still weeping Ron and Hermione, she spoke with a voice full of all the cruelty she could muster.

          "You and your pathetic muggle-loving friends did this, you filthy mudblood! My master is dead! But at least he finally got rid of that pathetic Boy Who Should Have Died Long Ago! Although that's certainly not enough to atone for his death, I am here to remedy that. Bellatrix Lestrange was and always will be the Dark Lord's most faithful servant!" With those final remarks, she whispered, "_Avada Kedavra_," before being wrestled to the ground by authorities.

          Hermione saw the curse coming at her but felt incapable of moving from her spot. At the last minute, some instinct of self-preservation kicked in and she raised the strongest shield she could, but she knew it was not enough. It was also at that same moment that Ron threw himself in front of her, not having much difficulty since he was already inside her shield.

          Though nothing was known to stop the Killing Curse, a strong enough shield seemed to weaken it, turning it from a noxious green to a sinister red. It continued to hurdle at them and despite the color change, it was still terrifying. As if in slow motion, Hermione saw the curse hit her other best friend. She watched him fall, crumpling to the ground and lying there like a limp, grotesque doll. She watched for a very long time, until Order members appeared by her side to take her to the infirmary.

          She, however, refused to leave Ron, following the rescue workers who took his body to the infirmary. The infirmary was meant for sick or injured people, not dead people. Did that mean Ron was alright? The thought hit her like a ton of bricks and she quickly ran to his bedside. Yes! There was a pulse, weak and erratic but there. Ron was still alive! He would get better soon and then they could return to being best friends and Hermione would not feel so lonely.

          She joyfully turned around to help Madam Pomfrey with the other patients and promptly fainted. That, Hermione mused, was probably how she got to be in an infirmary bed. She sniffled some more, vainly trying to stop the tears that were cascading down her face, before looking around the infirmary.

          A small part of her mind kept telling her that she would not find Harry and Ron sitting on the next bed, playing Exploding Snap as they waited for her, until Madam Pomfrey kicked them out in irritation. The same part also kept telling her that she was in denial and that she needed to face the truth to get on with her life. Yet, she could not help thinking, _what kind of life would that be?_

          She was aware on some level that the full weight of everything had yet to hit her but she was not particularly eager for that to happen. If living hurt so much while still halfway in denial, there was no telling the amount of pain to result when the thin veil she kept in front of her eyes was gone. Hermione sat in her bed for a very long time, replaying things over and over in her head.

            _They_ _both sacrificed their own lives, so that people like me could live,_ she thought in despair. _Now one is dead and the other is in an unknown state, mostly likely comatose for the rest of his life._ Fresh tears emerged, streaming down her face as she remembered.

          Looking up again, she noticed an old man with long white hair and a very long beard entering the hospital wing. Albus Dumbledore seemed to be older than Hermione ever remembered, with wrinkles and a newly acquired scar on his left cheek prominently visible, without a twinkle in his eyes to cover it up. Yet, Dumbledore always managed to radiate some comfort and warmth, and no matter how weak it was today, Hermione felt its effects.

          As he approached her bed, she looked up with some reluctance and asked the question she dreaded to ask.

          "Professor, how did I get here?" Hermione stared at the old man with teary eyes, looking very pitiful indeed. "What happened yesterday was all a dream right? Harry and Ron are both alright. Nothing happened to them, right…?"

          Dumbledore let out a sigh and moved towards the window, unable to look into Hermione's eyes anymore. The child had lost so much already – her parents in an attack earlier that year at Diagon Alley, her home in a similar Death Eater raid at her village while she was at the Weasleys', and now her best and only true friends to the final battle. 

          "I'm sorry Miss Granger but I must inform you that what happened was not a dream. Voldemort is dead, taking Mr. Potter's life with him. As for Mr. Weasley, he is still in St. Mungo's. All we can do is to wish that he will wake up, though the Healers hold out little hope of that."

          With those word, it seemed like Hermione's world came crashing down and there was nothing left for her to cling to. In desperation she feebly tried to refute Dumbledore's claim.

          "No, no, no… I won't believe it! They are not dead! They are alive and I'm going to find them!" She was rambling now and she knew it but she could not seem to stop herself. _I cannot and will not believe that my best friends are dead. _

          "Please Miss Granger, calm down. You are not the only one who has lost a lot of loved ones in this War."  Dumbledore spoke softly, with tears glistening in his eyes, as well.

          Hermione fell silent, only sniffing softly periodically. Dumbledore was right; she was not the only one that lost loved ones. _But why did the others have to suffer to save someone like me? Why Harry – he had already lost his parents and Sirius. Why Ron, whose family opened their home to us? Why?_

          "Now, Miss Granger, I suggest you get some sleep. You are going to need it tomorrow." The elderly man sighed deeply, before slowly pushing himself up and walking out of the infirmary.

          Hermione lay down on her back again, trying to go to sleep, but only darkness and daunting memories came to her.

**................................**

          Harry's funeral was sad and extremely depressing. Almost the entire wizarding population of Britain was there, with Dumbledore residing over them all. Many people came to thank Harry for saving the wizarding world, for saving their families. Everyone went up to his grave, and gave flowers, or murmuring blessings, except for one: Hermione Granger.

          Hermione remained by herself in a distant corner, tears streaming down her cheeks, like waterfalls. She was too scared to go in front of Harry's grave. Going up there and seeing his body meant accepting the fact that Harry was dead and there was nothing she or anyone else could do about it. Finally, she made a decision.

            _I can't stand this anymore. All this funeral is doing is bringing back painful, old memories._ She quickly departed, slipping past the crowd and hailing down the Knight Bus to St. Mungo's.

**................................**

          Ron was extremely pale. His eyes, which were closed, were covered by his flaming hair. Hermione silently brushed his red hair behind his rather big ears.

          "Ron, I know you cannot hear me, but…" She found her voice cracking. Taking a deep breath, she took one of his cold hands and pressed on.

          "I went to Harry's funeral today. So many people came, but it's not the same. I was his only close friend there; everyone else is either reporters or ministry people. I was the only person that truly knew Harry there, but I left anyway. I just couldn't stay. I miss him so much. What am I going to do without you two?" Hermione questioned as more tears rolled down her already tear stained face. After finding her voice again she continued.

          "Ron, please wake up soon! You are the only one that I truly care about in this world now! Mum and Dad are dead, and now Harry! You can't leave me too!" Hermione cried out as she buried her face on Ron's lifeless chest.

          "Miss Granger, I'm sure you won't wake up Mr. Weasley this way." A strong yet calm voice came from the doorway. There stood there was Albus Dumbledore once more, looking at her with kind but sorrowful eyes.

          Hermione turned quickly to identify the source of the familiar voice. "Professor, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at the funeral?" Hermione questioned the Headmaster in confusion.

          "I just wanted to make sure you were safe from the Death Eaters," answered Dumbledore, though Hermione felt doubtful that he was telling the truth.

          "Oh, I'm not scared of them. They can kill me if they want, but it's not going to bring back Voldemort or Harry…" Hermione choked on her own tears. "He's dead. I wish he was still alive, still standing in front of me, staring at me with his eyes. But…I can never bring him back…He's dead…"

          "Perhaps Miss Granger, hope is not all gone." He looked at her, with a slight twinkle in his eyes. "If the past is changed, the future will change accordingly, as well. But time travel is not always safe. The outcome may do more harm than good," he added, cautiously. Then, quick as a flash, the twinkle vanished, and he returned to a somber, old man who seemed to have lost his purpose in life.

          "Well, I shall be going now. You may take the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross Station back to Hogwarts later." With that, the old man disappeared.

**................................**

          On the train back to Hogwarts, Hermione pondered what Dumbledore meant by telling her about time travel. Of course changing the past meant changing the future. She had known that since the beginning of her third year. Why would Dumbledore explain it to her again now? Then it suddenly hit her - the Time Turner!

          After receiving Outstandings on almost all of her OWLS, she had to use a Time Turner again to make it to some classes. She had, however, learnt her lesson, and used it in moderation, so that she would not collapse again. But leaving now could mean missing a lot of important classes. Sighing she made up her mind. Although she still had almost a year and a half of education to complete at Hogwarts, there were some things that were just more important. 

                _Of course, but it's quite tricky. But… if that's going to get Harry, Ron, Mum, Dad, and everyone else back, I'll do it!_ She smiled to herself at the idea. There were a lot of preparations to make. _I shall need my trunk, wand, books and clothes. I should leave tonight. And it would be best to take Harry's Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map. _

          Hermione ran back to her dorm room, packed up as quickly as she could, and pulled her trunk into an empty classroom on the second floor. Classes had been cancelled for a week, and for once Hermione did not care, so it was almost guaranteed that nobody would interrupt her.

          She stood in the middle of the empty classroom, and took out her Time Turner. It was then that she realized that in all her excitement at the idea of saving her family and friends, she had almost forgotten what time period she would be going to. After taking her time to rethink her decision, she finally made a decision.

          One hand holding the trunk and the other holding the Time Turner as she turned it a few times, hearing the movement of the sand, she concentrated on the 70's, on Harry's parents' time, the Marauders' era.

          Hermione closed her eyes, as she felt wind hitting her, making her spin, and suddenly it all stopped. A wave of dizziness overcame her, so that she could not even stand up straight. As her balance was lost, she stretched out her hand to grab on to the nearest object she could. Consequently, the time turner in that hand dropped to the floor, shattering into pieces of broken glass and sand covering the floor.

          "Oh no! No, no, no! How could I be so stupid! Hermione! You are so clumsy!" She cried out; upset enough to start talking to herself aloud. "How am I going to go back now?"

          Hermione did the first that popped up to her mind, which happened to be: _get Dumbledore!_ She walked silently, one hand holding her wand, which she just used to levitate her trunk. She stopped when she was in front of the gargoyle guarding the staircase to the Headmaster's Office. Now the problem was figuring out the password.

          "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans? Umm… Fizzing Whizbee? No. Sugar Quill? Chocolate Frogs?" The gargoyle moved aside, revealing the staircase that led to Dumbledore's office.

          "Well, thanks." Hermione beamed at the statue.

          Once at the top, she took a deep breath and hoped that her lie was believable. She took another one, futilely trying to calm her racing heart but gave up. She could not prepare herself in five minutes to fool a master of human nature.

          Hermione cautiously knocked on the door, and then heard a mumble that sounded like 'come in'. She pushed the door open, and stood in front of the exact same wizard she had seen this morning, except for that this time his hair was not completely white yet.

          The wizard stared at her blankly, not a flicker of recognization in his eyes, which twinkled nonetheless. "I'm sorry Miss… I do not remember ever seeing you in this school before. Who are you?" he asked politely, while staring at her calmly.

          "Er… It's Hermione Granger. I don't expect you recognize me professor. I'm not exactly from now… I think," Hermione said nervously, trying to seem like a lost little girl who obviously did not like to lie to teachers. _I am not lying. I'm just not telling the whole truth._

          "Miss Granger, what do you mean by the statement you are 'not from now'?" The elderly man raised an eyebrow.

          "I… I was using my Time Turner that Professor McGonagall gave me. But I accidentally sat on it while I was… er… getting it from my trunk. Yes, getting it from my trunk, and the next thing I knew, I was in an empty classroom, with the broken glass and sand all around me." Hermione said unsurely, avoiding his eyes. "Ummm... Professor, what's the date?" she asked, wanting to make sure.

          "It's October 12, 1975. I see. So, Miss Granger, you are stuck here, it seems," he answered, noticing a sigh of relief. Maybe the child thought that she was in trouble. Then his eyes moved to her uniform, in particular her badge. "I can see that you are in Gryffindor. What year are you in?"

          "I'm a 6th year, professor."

          "The Time Turner was for NEWT preparation classes, then? Well, Miss Granger, I shall inform Minerva to bring you to the Gryffindor Tower. You shall study here as a student until we find a way to send you back. Out of curiosity, when are you from – no, forget it. I do not want to know. It might mess up the timelines. But at least tell me whether you are from the past or the future."

          "The future…" she replied, hesitantly.

          "As I thought. I do not need to stress the importance of not doing anything that may change the future, as I am sure any student with a Time Turner from Professor McGonagall would know. Very well, then. You may wait next to the gargoyles. She will come soon." He concluded, and then with a smile, he added in a soft voice, "I know this may be a difficult and lonely time for you. If you ever want to talk about anything, you know where to find me, Miss Granger."

          Hermione gulped inaudibly and nodded at the same time. She left Dumbledore's office, feeling relieved, but wondering if he knew or suspected anything.

End Chapter One. To be continued.

**................................**

Authors' Notes:

Later on in the story there are a few original characters to basically provide comic relief and fill up space in the dorms due to lack of information about the Marauders' time. The two main ones are Charlotte and Amelia but they are not Mary Sues or a form of self-insertion. Yes, they do have the same names as the authors but we took our names (and theirs) from another source.


	2. II: First Impressions

Title: Anachronistic

Category: Angst/Drama

Rated: PG-13

Authors: Muse Calliope

Summary: Due to tragic circumstances, Hermione decides to go back to the past. She knows it's dangerous but now she's extremely desperate. She knows there are some serious repercussions but they can't be as bad as things are now…

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**................................**

"O'er rough and smooth she trips along,

And never looks behind;

And sings a solitary song

That whistles in the wind."

- _Lucy Gray_, William Wordsworth

**................................**

Chapter Two: First Impressions

          Hermione waited next to the gargoyles silently for Professor McGonagall. She was nervous, and extremely scared, tightly clenching her cloak with her sweaty hands.

_          Maybe I should rethink this whole thing. Maybe this is wrong. What if I make the whole situation even worse, even more complicated? _Hermione was confused. She was having doubts about the whole plan, but a part of her knew that once it was done, it was done, and there was no turning back. _I am here to save Ron and Harry, not to mention maybe the whole Wizarding World. I have to do this, it will work, and plus, it's not like I have another time turner to go back home with anyway_, she reassured herself.

          Loud, quick footsteps were heard, definitely belonging to someone with a clear head and plenty of determination. As they echoed through the empty hallway, they became louder. A woman with black hair, pulled tightly into a bun and without a trace of grey, came into view. It was Professor McGonagall, albeit a younger version, but still the same inside, Hermione was sure.

          Hermione's first instinct, upon seeing Minerva (as she became to be known to Hermione seeing that each fighter in the war called each other by his first name – out of respect for the individual, not the family name that stereotyped him) for the first time, was to go up to her and hug her favorite teacher to death.

          The truth was, during one of the many battles before Voldemort's defeat, Minerva McGonagall was captured and tortured, very much like Neville's parents. After the Dark Lord's defeat, all prisoners of war held by the Death Eaters were rescued. Hermione, however, was very reluctant to visit her: she was certain that after all the tortured her mentor had endure, her mind would have broken. Eventually Hermione did visit her at St. Mungo's, after being urged by Molly Weasley, who had taken care of her after her parents' death.

          Her prediction was right, of course. Minerva was a broken person, a mere shell of her previous self, whose only purpose was to highlight how far she had fallen from her former days. It seemed, in Hermione's opinion, almost profane for anyone to see her like that, which was why she was always so reluctant to visit Hogwarts' former Deputy Headmistress.

          Yet, there stood the Transfiguration teacher, healthy as ever, even if she was not in a good mood. It was almost too hard to believe that the Professor McGonagall of her care-free days at Hogwarts was standing in front of her.

          Though McGonagall had an annoyed look on, Hermione still smiled pleasantly at her. She tried very hard to not show the anticipation and the excitement she felt bubbling inside. She did not want to disturb her mentor with her unreasonable delight. After all, McGonagall was to her what Dumbledore was to Harry.

          "You would be Miss Granger I presume?" asked the Professor in her most stern voice, indicating her irritation.

          "Yes, Professor," Hermione answered, looking at the professor. Some part of her hoped for some kind of recognition to flash in McGonagall's eyes, but she knew that would not happen.

          "Well then Miss Granger, welcome to Hogwarts. I have heard from the Headmaster that you were home schooled. Therefore you may need a tutor to keep up with Hogwarts' current syllabus. Am I correct?" The Professor seemed to emphasis the term 'home schooled', while giving her a penetrating look.

          "I don't believe I shall need a tutor, but Professor, do you know that-"

          "That you really come from another time? Yes, though when I am not sure and I would rather keep it that way. But since the students cannot be told as to your origin or why you are here, you shall use the excuse of having been home schooled. The same applies to the teachers. The only people who are to know the truth are myself, the Headmaster, and you, of course. Is that understood?"

          "Yes, ma'am," Hermione replied instantly. She had planned to something similar anyway. At least now her lies would be consistent to those of the Headmaster.

          "Alright then. Follow me, Miss Granger. I shall escort you to the Gryffindor common room, which I assume you already know all about." Hermione nodded and the two departed from their place in front of the gargoyle.

          On the way, McGonagall informed Hermione of the classes she would be taking. Since the curriculum had changed very little from when Hermione attended sixth year classes, she tuned the Professor out.

          Inwardly, she complained about having to repeat sixth year. When she had left Hogwarts, the Easter break had finished two weeks ago and students were preparing for final exams, and OWLs and NEWTs. But maybe having to learn all the material again, without the pressure and sorrow marking Voldemort's second rise to power, would allow her absorb everything at her own rate. In all honesty, she did not remember much, if anything, from her classes during the first few months after her parents' death.

          The duo eventually came to stand in front of the Fat Lady, who still was wearing her characteristic pink dress. Hermione vaguely noticed that she seemed to be skinner than her future self. It seemed that the Fat Lady from her time had not only kept her figure, but added so much more to it (1).

          "The password this week is 'hippogriff'. Here, the password changes weekly and a prefect will inform you and the rest of the students when that happens. The prefects for sixth year are Lily Evans and Remus Lupin. If you have any questions, you can always ask them."

          Hermione nearly choked on her own saliva (having no drink in her mouth) from shock.Lily Evans, Harry's mother, was here. Here as in only a hundred steps away. _Harry would have loved to be in my shoes now_, she thought sadly.

          Professor McGonagall was giving her odd looks now, obviously wondering why she was reeling from the mention of prefects; they were never _that_ exciting. Hermione took several large gulps of air before pulling herself together. It did not matter that Harry would have loved to be here because Hermione was going to make sure that he knew his parents this time around.   

          As they stepped into the common room, she noticed that very few changes had been made to the room over the years. The sofas and chairs, even the cushions, were in the same place, but the whole atmosphere was different. It is calm and peaceful, unlike back home, where everyone was afraid of something: news that some loved one was dead, news that another village had been destroyed, news that more homeless wizards were entering the school looking for sanctuary, even the one day that news came that Hogwarts was under attack. This place was different. It was way it was supposed to be: a haven for laughing faces after long day of classes. Hermione had not realized it before but she felt the peaceful atmosphere seep further into her, relaxing her, a feeling she had been feeling since she got here. 

          Looking at the familiar common room, and the corner where she, Harry, and Ron used sit and discuss all manner of things, she felt a surge of grief, while images flashed before her eyes. This was where their happiest moments were, talking about Quidditch, playing wizard chess, doing homework. In all of her painful nostalgia, she hardly heard a word McGonagall said. She was far too lost in her own thoughts, as tears began to prick her eyes.

          "Now, I want you to welcome our newest student. This is Hermione Granger, she will be staying here for a while, and since she is here, I want all of you to show respect to our new student. I hope all of you will help and befriend her. Make her feel comfortable and at home. Do all of you under-" McGonagall never had the opportunity to finish her sentence. Hermione rushed past her, heading towards the dormitories, running up the stairs two at a time, and finally locking herself in the girl's dormitory. 

          Hermione could not take it anymore, being in that room. Yet, she could not cry in front of all those people. _They were probably all starring at me, and now they must think I'm mental. I… I can't… I'm such a coward. I'm not strong like Harry, Ron, Sirius, Ginny, Neville, Luna… They'd all be able to do this just fine…_

          She sat down on what she presumed was her bed, as it was the only one that was not personalized or littered with clothes. It was located in the corner, the same position it was in back home. She closed the curtains around the bed and buried her face in the pillows.

_          Everything seems so strange and different here. No, everything is perfectly normal here except me. I don't fit in. I don't belong._ She knew it was wrong to cry like this when she had such a great chance, but everything in Hogwarts was soaked with memories, and brought back too much heartache to just let go of or repress.

          Not to mention how beautiful life was here. There was no talk of Voldemort taking over Hogwarts, no chaos, not debris left by the Death Eaters. The bubble of happiness around Hogwarts had yet to be touched by the malevolent hand of Voldemort. The children were innocent, and the days were carefree. Right now, she hated these students, or rather, she envied them, and their perfect lives, where they did not have to worry about tomorrow being the day when they were killed, they killed someone or they watched helplessly as someone was killed.

          Hermione was so lost in her thought that she did not hear the door click open.

          "Hello? Are you alright?" asked a nervous yet concerned voice, which definitely belonged to a young girl. The speaker gulped, and continued, "Professor McGonagall was worried. Why did you just run up the stairs? And how did you know where the dormitory is if you are new?"

          Hermione had heard enough. She was in no mood to talk to these perfectly happy people. She did not even bother to open the curtains and acknowledge the girl. Instead, she allowed her temper to take control of her. "Go away! I don't want to talk to any of you. You sicken me," Hermione snapped through the curtain. She did not care right now if she was being unreasonable, or rude, because all she wanted to do was to release her anger and escape.

          "Please, I just want to help!" begged the other girl, sounding more scared than nervous now.

          "You think you can just walk in and understand everything? Huh, Miss Perfect? Because you know what you can't! You will never understand, so why don't you just fuck off, and go annoy someone else!" Hermione winced. That was cruel and uncalled for, especially directed at someone who was only trying to help her. But she could not bring herself to feel bad about it. _Who does she think she is anyway? These stupid people try to understand everything, but they will never understand anything unless they experience it. If only they knew what it was like to lose everything that was dear to them… Then they would know. _With that thought, she cried herself to sleep.

**................................**

Meanwhile, in the common room…

          Lily ran down the stairs, sobbing. She did not understand why that Hermione Granger girl had yelled at her or felt the need to use such strong language. As resilient as her spirit was, those remarks stung her, particularly because she knew she did not deserved it. It was one of those things that upset Lily terribly – to be hated, especially by a person that knew nothing about her.

          Charlotte looked up to see her best friend crying after returning from the dormitory. She narrowed her eyes as she searched for a reason behind the tears. _That girl must've said something that upset Lily. The bitch, I'll get her for it, s_he thought.

          Amelia, also noticing that her friend has been crying, put down her romance novel and turned her attention to Lily.

          Charlotte Turner and Amelia Fronster were Lily's roommates, and her best friends. How those three became friends was still a mystery at Hogwarts. Lily has always been the pretty red head, with stunning emerald green eyes. She was extremely smart, and every teachers' favorite.

          Charlotte on the other hand was wild, crazy girl with a boyish personality. While not the pristine doll that Lily was, she had an exotic beauty, with long shiny black hair and eyes such a rare shade of blue, Lily called them indigo. Boys, however, did not usually go after Charlotte; her easygoing personality caused them to treat her like another one of the guys.

          Amelia Fronster, the third member of the trio, was never noticed much, like Peter Pettigrew. Being extremely shy, she was almost never associated with anyone other than Lily and Charlotte. She was a fair blonde with shoulder length hair, and pale eyes. Though not beautiful, she was known by many to be rather cute looking. The boys that would occasionally try to get her attention soon gave up; a combination of her extremely shy nature around people she did not know and of her having read too many romance novels, led to very awkward conversations.

          Those were the Gryffindor girls.

          "Lily, what happened? Did she hurt you, because if she did, I would kill that son of a…" Charlotte began ranting, attracting attention from her various housemates.

          "No, no… She didn't hurt me. She just… she was crying… and I tried to comfort her… and she didn't even give me a chance. She started to say how I don't understand anything. Said I had a perfect life and… oh… she used some really mean words, and she swore…"

          "She didn't! It is not lady like to swear," Amelia added, seemingly appalled at what she heard. Charlotte, being used to Amelia's rather old fashioned view of women, snorted, and then laughed. "Amelia, Amelia, Amelia… It is perfectly normal to swear. I do it all the time!"

          "Well, that explains why no one treats you like a young lady," Lily remarked, backing Amelia up. "I don't think that young ladies should swear either."

          "Whatever, but do you want me to get her back for you? We can set her hair on fire or something. Though, I don't see the difference since it's seems like she tried it already herself." Charlotte snorted again.

          While most of the common room had lost interest and resumed their own actives, James Potter and Sirius Black decided to stop eavesdropping and start participating in a subject they knew best: pranking. Following them, were Remus Lupin, who brought his book with him as if he did not want to join in the conversation but did not want to be left alone; and Peter Pettigrew, who seemed to be looking for a way to relieve his boredom.

          "I see that new girl, what's her name again, Harmony Gran-" James did not get to finish his sentence.

          "It's Hermione Granger, and I did not remember inviting you to join this conversation," Lily answered with a more than a little bit of distain.

          "I'm sorry Evans, but I couldn't ignore Turner's snorts. She sounded too much like a rabid horse." This comment earned him a hateful glare from Charlotte, but he continued anyway. "How about if you go on a date with me, and I will get you your revenge." James raised an eyebrow in challenge.

          However, this only made Lily even angrier. "I do not need your help Potter, and I will never go out with you!" Lily finished and stormed up the stairs, closely followed by Charlotte, who was shooting daggers at the boys. Amelia then closed her book, gave James a sympathetic look and joined her friends.

**................................**

          When the girls entered the dormitory, Charlotte moved towards Hermione's bed, obviously planning to dish out some justly deserved, in her opinion, revenge. But as she approached the bed, and heard the pitiful whimpers and sobs coming from it, she changed her mind. Revenge was best served cold, not while the victim tugs at your heartstrings so pitifully.

          The girls silently agreed to not bother her, at least for this night. They quickly changed, showered, and went into their bed without making a sound. But before they fell asleep, a single, yet identical, thought entered their minds: _who is this Hermione Granger? _

**................................**

         The next day, Hermione managed to get to the Great Hall without having to stop and speak with anyone. She entered and briefly wondered where she should sit but eventually decided to follow the old pattern. The students sat at their seat by order of what year they were in, with first years near the Head Table and the seventh years all the way at the end, close to the doors to the Great Hall. It was a tradition that she suspected dated farther back than Dumbledore's days as a student here. Sitting down quickly, she noticed hardly any of the upper classmen had arrived for breakfast yet. What she did not notice were the looks she was receiving, choosing to focus intently on the dream she had experienced last night.

          She had been having the same dream since she had woken up after the final battle. In this dream, Ron, Harry, Ginny and her parents were being tortured by Voldemort, as they screamed out her name, begging her to save them, while she stood there unable to move. That dream came to her almost every night and left her feeling exhausted, as if she had not bothered to even go to bed at all.  Hermione shook her head, trying to get rid of the images.

          A few seats down, after having arrived and finding a seat, Lily was having a debate with herself. On one hand, she wanted to approach Hermione and see if she was alright, but on the other, she did not want to upset the girl or get snapped at. Finally, she came to a conclusion as Professor McGonagall gave her the schedules to hand out to all the sixth year Gryffindors. Gathering her courage, she stood up and walked over to Gryffindor's newest addition. On the way, she tried to reassure herself. After all, she was a prefect and this girl was probably a cocky student with nothing more than a bad attitude, one that she hoped to change.

          Before she took her first step, Charlotte grabbed her sleeve and stood up. "Hey Lily, wait up. I'll come with you just in case," said Charlotte. "Come on Amelia, put that stupid book down. We need to stand up for Lily." Charlotte dragged Amelia out of her seat, and the two girls followed Lily.

          Lily felt more confident now that her friends were with her. She took a deep breath and tried to speak with a cool and confident voice. "Hello, we met yesterday…"

          "What do you what?" Hermione snapped. She hated it when people disrupted her train of thought. "Can't you go bother someone else for awhile?" she added rudely, not bothering to look up from her newly acquired book, _Was, Is, and Will Be: the Time Continuum _by Chronos Smith. She was trying to find a way to make a Time Turner of her own, since waiting for the Headmaster to go through all the legal papers required at the Ministry took too long. 

          "Hey, who do you think you are… you stupid cow! You better apology to my friend right now, or I will show you what real pain is like!" shouted Charlotte, trying to jump on Hermione, who remained fascinated in her book, while Lily and Amelia attempted to hold Charlotte back.

          Lily, sensing things would get worse if they lingered there, quickly put the schedule on the table. "Er… here's your schedule. Professor McGonagall told me to give it to you. I'm sorry to trouble you again." As soon as she finished talking, she and Amelia dragged a furious Charlotte out of the Great Hall with much difficulty.

          Hermione took her schedule, and cast a glance at the three girls. By now all she saw was an enraged brunette being dragged around the corner. She rolled her eyes, and went back to her schedule (2).

Monday

9:00 Potions with Slytherins

10:00 Potions with Slytherins

11:00 Transfiguration

12:00 Lunch

No classes this afternoon

          A small, almost inaudible groan escaped Hermione's mouth – Double Potions with the Slytherins and on her first day. A smile crept on to her face as she remembered that at least now Snape would not be teaching the class but it quickly disappeared when she also remembered that Snape would be in her class anyway.

          She continued to muse about the current Potions Professor and the other teachers she did not know until the sound of a person clearing his voice importantly behind her broke her thoughts. _Well then_, she decided to not turn around and acknowledge this person. It would be good for his ego.

          "Hey, you're the new girl that's giving Evans a hard time, right?"

          Hermione turned around swiftly, intent on giving the rude person a good telling off. Her annoyed expression, however, soon changed into one of shock, and her mouth moved to form the shape of an "o", as she sat gaping like a goldfish.

          "Harry!" she yelled, unable to control herself. Here standing right front of her was her best friend, but how was that possible? Upon closer inspection she realized that it was not possible. This person looked very much like Harry but had hazel eyes instead of green and no scar on his forehead.

          "Who? I'm not some Harry. It looks like you are not only unsociable but dense too!" The boy laughed, while exchanging a glance with a boy behind him.

          Hermione gave him a dirty look. This was definitely not Harry. Harry was not such an obnoxious bastard. But that meant that this was…Her hunch was confirmed when the boy spoke again.

          "I'm James, James Potter. I don't know who this Harry is, but please don't get me mixed up with your other loser friends." James gave her one of his infamous smirks. "Now, leave Evans alone, or else you will hear from me. Come on Moony, Wormtail. Let's go find old Sirius. I bet you anything that he's snogging some girl in a broom closest." He left without casting a second glance at Hermione. 'Moony' and 'Wormtail' gave her sympathetic looks, as if to say 'S_orry, James can get like this sometimes.'_

          _Oh my… _Hermione was in shock.Was that Harry's dad – the James Potter? How could anyone as nice as Harry have a father like that? Maybe the apple does fall far from the tree.

          Then another thought occurred to her. In order for her to discreetly change the past without anyone knowing the truth and messing everything up she would have to befriend the sixth year Gryffindors and manipulate them from within their own circles. _But how any I suppose to make friends with a person like that?_ She thought intently again before looking up and noticing that the hall was mostly empty. Cursing slightly, she threw her toast back onto the plate and left for Potions, promising herself that she would figure it out later.

End Chapter Two. To be continued.

**................................**

Authors' Notes:

(1) A quote by Bob Fosse taken from Amelia's Insult-A-Day calendar for February 6, 2004.

(2) Hermione's schooling in the past has officially begun on Oct. 13, 1975, which, by the way, really was a Monday (and the 12th, the day she arrived, was a Sunday, duh). Since no set schedule was ever given in the Harry Potter books, we shall create one of our own following a standard pattern of classes for most Muggles. Obviously, there are more classes and more days; this is just an excerpt.

Hope you enjoy the story! Thanks for the reviews!

Much love for **Hallie**** Walker**, **Lady Prongs**, **jade**, **harryp/charmedfreak**, and **DM-san**!


	3. III: Calamity In Potions

Title: Anachronistic

Authors: Muse Calliope

Category: Angst/Drama

Rated: PG-13

Summary: Due to tragic circumstances, Hermione decides to go back to the past. She knows it's dangerous but now she's extremely desperate. She knows there are some serious repercussions but they can't be as bad as things are now…

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**................................**

"My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,

And true plain hearts do the faces rest,

Where can we find two better hemispheres

Without sharp North, without declining West?

Whatever dies, was not mixed equally"

- _The Good Morrow_, John Donne

**................................**

Chapter Three: Calamity In Potions

          Hermione briskly walked through the corridors that led to the dungeons. She stopped mid-stride when she heard strange sounds coming from the end of the corridor, just around the corner. Following the sound to its source, she was determined to find out what it was. Spending six years with Harry and Ron had taught her not to run away from problems in her path or to ignore her curiosity. Poking her head around the corner, she noticed a couple in what appeared to be a major snogging session.

          Though she attempted to be as subtle and quiet as she could, her footsteps were apparently heard. The boy, who had his arms wrapped around a bubbly Hufflepuff that giggled a lot, looked rather irritated. "Can I help you?" he snapped at her. The question, though not really a question, did not require an answer evidently, as the boy returned his attention to the blonde and seemed to forget about Hermione.

          Flushing slightly, Hermione apologized. "Er… Sorry, I didn't know. I'll… leave." She finished, feeling rather ridiculous, and turned the other way, quickly walking off and feeling rather embarrassed. _Oh dear Merlin, did I just… _Still, she registered the fact that the boy looked strangely familiar, as if she had seen him before._ He reminds me of someone, but who is that?_

          He had dark hair, and light blue eyes. She had to admit to herself, but only to herself, that he was extremely handsome. However, that was not very helpful. All she knew about him was that he was very attractive and very rude, which meant that he was one in thousands.She decided not to linger on that question, since there were so many other, more important questions to be answered.

          Hermione walked into the classroom a bit tardy but rather early for her "first" day at a "new school", attracting some attention. She immediately walked toward the teacher's desk, waiting to be seated. The man looked up from his newspaper lazily. While earlier she was very eager to meet a different Potions teacher, she was more disappointed now. In fact, if it was possible at all, he looked even worse than Snape_. _His dark brown hair reached just below his chin and blocked his eyes, which Hermione eventually found to be a dull grey. His chin, while strong and with a slight cleft, was pointed up in the air, while his equally strong jaw clenched. He had a disdainful look on face, adding to his arrogant appearance.

          "So you are Hermione Granger, I presume. Another Gryffindor?" It wasn't much of a question, or maybe it was rhetorical, but either way Hermione did not answer, choosing to merely nod. The Potions professor's gaze then left Hermione and turned to the door as it slowly creaked open. A sneer flitted across the professor's face, before it settled into what appeared to be a silent snarl.

          Bemused, Hermione turned around and saw the younger version of Harry's father, and the mysterious boy that she had seen snogging that Hufflepuff just about two minutes ago.

          "Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, would you like to explain to me why you are late?" the professor questioned mockingly. 

          "Well, you see Professor, James and I were helping Professor McGonagall with her books," the handsome boy answered cheekily, while giving James a sly look.

          So that's who it was: Sirius Black, albeit much younger than before. Hermione berated herself for not seeing it earlier before settling down to take a good look at both Gryffindors.

          James, as expected looked like Harry's twin; or rather it was the other way around: Harry looked like James' twin. But as she looked closer, Hermione noticed subtle differences. James looked far younger than Harry did at his age, despite the fact that Harry was much smaller. The elder Potter's face seemed perpetually set in an arrogant yet happy mold, while Harry's was always overshadowed by worry and stress. James' eyes were still innocent in some way, while Harry's had lost that vibrant quality a long time ago. It saddened Hermione to think this was how Harry could have been: untroubled, confident, and carefree.

          Moving her gaze from James, Hermione took in Sirius' stance. It was relaxed but held that bit of arrogance that Hermione mentally related to Malfoy. Shrugging it off as a result of being raised as a pureblooded Black (as if there was any other kind), she focused on his face. It was youthful and clean-shaven, unlike the shaggy mess she normally saw. His hair was cut shorter than she had ever seen it and was very clean, not to mention it looked soft to the touch.

          But the thing that caught her attention was his eyes. Bright, unmuted by betrayal, tragedy, and years in Azkaban, they shone with far more life than she had ever seen in those deep gray orbs. It was almost a shock to see Sirius so open and animated.

          Then before she knew it a thought came to her:_ wow, he's gorgeous _(1). Hermione, equally shocked at her sudden admission, mentally kicked her self. _This is Harry's godfather. How can I think this way? _

          The younger Sirius, looking around the room for support from his classmates, caught her stare, which was at the time focused on him. He gave her one of his most charming smirks (2), and moved to sit down. Hermione flushed again slightly. Embarrassed for the second time in the same morning and by the same person, she turned back to the professor.

          "Mr. Black, I am more likely to believe that flobberworms will burn down the school than that you and Mr. Potter would help a teacher." The potion master emphasized the word 'you' in particular before continuing, "That will be 10 points off Gryffindor, and detention for both of you."

          Turned his back quickly before either Gryffindor could reply, he addressed Hermione once more. "As I was saying before those two interrupted, I am Hogwarts' resident Potions expert, Professor Letenzi (3). This is a very difficult and demanding class, one which you shall manage to pass if you pull yourself out of whatever dream world or self-inflicted psychological torture you put yourself through to pay attention. Though you are a Gryffindor and may deem school to be beneath you, I assure you it is the other way around. I expect utmost respect and obedience. There is no need to follow your housemates whenever they decide to go tramping around 'outside of the box', expecting praise," he finished while casting dirty looks at James and Sirius.

          "Miss Granger, you may sit in the corner, next to Pettigrew. If I hear you talking or doing anything you are not suppose to, then you would be joining these boys in detention. Do I make my self clear?"

          "Yes sir," Hermione mumbled. So _much for a better, nicer Potion Master_, she groused.At least now she knew where Snape got it from. Dejectedly, she walked towards the back of the room amidst the sounds of Slytherins still snickering over Letenzi's "welcome" speech.

_          Great now I get to work with the rat, _she thought bitterly, but as usual, her Gryffindor optimism pushed through. Maybe Peter was not evil yet. Maybe she could still save him and keep him from the dark side. She sighed at what a huge task she had undertaken with changing the past and walked towards her desk. Setting her things on the floor, she lowered herself onto the chair next to the cauldron. Her partner turned to her and smiled in a friendly if slightly nervous way. 

          "Hello, my name is Peter, Peter Pettigrew, but you can call me Pete if you prefer," the boy said cheerfully. "Since you are new here, I don't know how good you are at Potions. I'm really bad at it. Maybe you can help me."

          Was this the same Peter Pettigrew that betrayed Harry's parents? He seemed too sweet and innocent for anything like that. Maybe Hermione could befriend with him, and prevent him from turning evil easily. Mustering up her happiest smile, which was very difficult considering how bad of a day she had been having, she replied. "Hi, my name is Hermione. And I'm good at Potions so I'm pretty sure I could help you."

          Before Peter could answer, Professor Letenzi started speaking. "Today, we will be working on how to brew Polyjuice Potion. You all should remember from back in 3rd year when you studied it theoretically. Can anyone tell me what it is? Do any of you remember?"

          Hermione couldn't believe how easy this question was. She did studies on the Polyjuice Potion back in her second year. She could not believe that only a few people knew the answer. But then she remembered that Polyjuice was part of the sixth year curriculum and she had only learned about it in her own extra studies when she, Harry and Ron were convinced that Malfoy was the heir of- She quickly cut off her train of thought, not wanting to stir up anymore memories and start tearing during the middle of _Potions_.

          "Mr. Snape?"

          "The Polyjuice Potion can change a person's appearance for an hour to whomever they wish." Hermione's mouth almost dropped. Her Potion master was there in the same class, acting the same way _she_ used to.

          "Correct. Five points to Slytherin. Now, can anyone tell me what the process is in making the potion?"

          The classroom suddenly became quiet; all hands went down. Surprised, Hermione looked over to the Slytherin side of the room. Noticing the smug look plastered on most of their faces, she assumed they were letting Letenzi go after a Gryffindor with such a difficult question.

          Deciding she might as well start winning over her housemates now, Hermione took a quick, deep breath and raised her hand. Professor Letenzi looked at Hermione with annoyed look, assuming she would begin to complain about the difficulty of the course at any moment. "Yes Miss Granger?" he grounded out.

          All heads turned to the new girl, who flushed slightly, before lowering her hands and wiping her palms on her skirt underneath the table. Hermione tried to ignore the stares and answered, sounding like a talking textbook. "The recipe for Polyjuice potion is very complicated. You need Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, knotgrass, powdered horn of a bicorn, shredded skin of a boomslang, and a bit of whomever you want to change into. It takes about a month to finish, because the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have to stew for twenty-one days." After Hermione finished her little speech, she noticed many of the Gryffindors, as well as Snape and some other people she did not recognize, starring at her in amazement.

          The Potions professor looked almost disappointed with such a perfect answer, giving Hermione a reluctant nod. "Yes, Miss Granger. Now everyone, get started on the Potion with your partner. The full set of instructions is on the board."

          "Wow, Hermione, you didn't tell me you that good. I mean even old Snivellus couldn't answer that one." Peter was starring at her with wide eyes.

          "Oh… it was nothing." Awkwardly Hermione turned back the potion with a dramatic sigh. They worked in silence, with Hermione chopping, slicing and skinning, and with Peter adding the ingredients to cauldron.

          The classroom was usually calm to Hermione. Letenzi just sat at his desk and read the paper, never bothering to check up on his students. Normally Snape would have been breathing down the necks of the Gryffindors by now or someone would have exploded a cauldron.

          As if in tune with Hermione's thought, Peter dropped in a bit of boomslang skin that had not been shredded yet. Noticing the bubbling mass that looked like it was about to explode, Hermione grabbed Peter's hand and dragged him under the table for cover. Surprising everyone except for the pair in hiding, a relatively small explosion rocked the room, splattering potions ingredients all over the walls and unsuspecting students.

_          Just like what Neville used to do, _she thought.

          Letenzi rushed over, quickly taking points off Gryffindor, and thoroughly scolding Peter. The Slytherins were laughing, and the Gryffindors were trying to remain clam and unembarrassed while they defended their housemate.

_          Nothing changes – the Gryffindors will always be Gryffindors, and the Slytherins will always act like Slytherins. The Potion professor will always favor his own house, and there will always be a boy that gets picked on just because Potions isn't his specialty. _Lost in her own thoughts, she did not notice that Letenzi had begun talking to her. _Nothing changes. It's the same situation, just different people. Letenzi is Snape, the Potion master who always yells and never encourages anyone. Peter is Neville, a boy who is just as intelligent as the others, only having a different area of expertise. And Ron and Harry aren't here to joke it all away…_ Tears were threatening to come cascading down her face once again.

          "Granger, I am talking to you! Did you help blow up the cauldron, or is it just this idiot boy's doing?"

          _Idiot boy. That's what Snape used to call Neville_, she thought despondently. The buzzing around her was getting too loud. The classroom seemed ready to burst with all the nervous tension. The pressure inside her heart was increasing causing her heart rate to increase, her jaw to snap shut tightly and her hands to ball up into fists. She could feel her control slipping. If she did not do anything, her temper would explode far worse than any potion could. It was just like yesterday when she walked into the Common room.

          She missed everyone back home. She did not want to stay in this era; it was worse than home. She wanted to go home, to see Harry and Ron and her parents, to see Hogwarts in all its glory before Voldemort attacked.

          In a last attempt for control, she bit down on her lip, trying to focus on the pain instead of Letenzi's rising voice. A part of her mind seemed to sigh in defeat as it realized there was nothing else to be done except prepare to pick up the pieces.

"Shut up! You shouldn't be calling him an idiot boy. You… you have no right what so ever to do that!"

          Silence reigned in the classroom. Even the Potions professor seemed too shocked to make a move. Only Hermione did anything. Tears made their way from her eyes, like water pouring out of a broken dam. Her breathing was erratic and heavy, leading to the need to take many breaths successively to get the necessary amounts of oxygen.

          Students were murmuring and whispering amongst themselves about her now, but all she noticed was the way everything in the room was spinning. Pushing her way forward, she ran out of the room, hoping to escape the memories, and her troubles. She ran aimlessly down the corridor, up a flight of stairs, and into the nearest girls' lavatory. Setting herself down on the floor in the corner, she hugged her knees while sobs racked her body.

**................................**

Meanwhile, back in the dungeons…

          The sudden departure of a student from his class without permission seemed to jolt Letenzi out of his stupor. He quickly turned around and headed towards the door. Sticking his head out of it, he began yelling as loudly as he could.

          "Granger, get back here! I'm still talking to you! Did you help blow up the cauldron, or is it just this idiot boy's doing!?" Finding all his attempts to scare Granger back to be futile, he turned his attention back to the remaining students. "Well, what are you all gaping at? Clean up this mess and get out. Class dismissed! And fifteen points from Gryffindor!"

          Not wishing to bring Letenzi's wrath upon them, the Gryffindors began to pack up as quickly as they could. Most were thankful that they were let out of Potions a half hour early while others gossiped about the new girl. The Marauders stayed behind to help Peter clean up his mess before any detentions were handed out but the girls left, walking at a leisurely pace to their next class.

          "What is wrong with her, Lily? She was all fine a minute ago, and then it was like she was in a trance or something before completely freaking out," Charlotte whispered.

          "Yeah, I know. I wonder if she's alright. I think I should check up on her."

          "Are you mental?" Charlotte hissed. "Remember, you tried to comfort her before, but what happened? She just yelled at you!"

          "I agree with Lily. I think Hermione has some problems, and she needs friends to help her but she doesn't have any here so we have to be there for her," Amelia added, spewing advice from her latest novel, _The Lone Wizard_.

          Lily did not even wait long enough to hear to Amelia's whole sentence. She ran out of the dungeon, following Hermione, leaving a babbling Amelia and a sighing Charlotte.

**................................**

Meanwhile, back in the girls' toilet…

          Lily slowly pushed the door open, after listening intently at the door. Upon entering, she saw Hermione crying helplessly on the bathroom floor. _Luckily, the house elves keep this place squeaky clean_, she thought remembering the school toilets she had seen before she came to Hogwarts. She sat down on the floor next to Hermione, while putting one hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

          Hermione looked up to se a red haired girl smiling at her kindly. She was very pretty, and the hair was reminiscent of a certain female Weasley. When she looked closer, she noticed more differences and thought: _No, Ginny's hair is brighter and she has more freckles. But this girl also looks strangely familiar like Sirius did, and those eyes…Oh._

          "Are you alright?" The girl asked timidly, probably scared she would blow up, Hermione guessed.

          She wanted to say yes and move on, but no words came out. She looked at the girl helplessly, trying to stop crying.

          "No, no, of course you are not all right. How silly of me. My name is Lily Evans. I know we didn't start out on the right foot but you can tell me anything. I promise I won't say a word to anyone."

          Hermione gave her one of her rare smiles. Harry's mum really was as nice as everyone said. But what did she mean by starting off on the wrong foot?

          Then it hit her. Lily was the girl that tried to comfort her yesterday and this morning. And all Hermione had done was hurt her feelings! Making up her mind, she decided to be as nice as she could to Lily. Not only was it the only way to make up for her horrible behavior earlier but it was the easiest way to change the past. With James Potter being such a git, Hermione was rather reluctant to be friends with him and she had a suspicion he did not like her much either.

          "I'm sorry, but it's rather personal." There was an awkward silence. "And I'm sorry for being really, extremely, terribly rude to you earlier."

          "Oh, it is quite all right. I forgive you. It must be hard having to start over at a new school. If you ever want to talk about anything, I'm always here."

          "Thanks."

          "You're welcome." They smiled at each other for a few more moments while Hermione dried her eyes before jumping at the sound of the loud ring. "Ah, that would be the bell. Let's go to Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall is a lot nicer than Letenzi. Come on, I'll introduce you to my other friends, Charlotte and Amelia. They're really nice…" Lily stood up and helped what she hoped to be her new friend off the ground.

          Hermione rubbed her eyes and followed Lily out of the bathroom, hoping this was the start of a really great friendship. Resolutely, she decided it was time to stop grieving and focus on what she came here to do.With that thought in mind, Hermione took a deep breath, readying herself to face the rest of the Gryffindors, who undoubtedly had a lot of questions for her.

End Chapter Three. To be continued.

**................................**

Authors' Notes:

(1) Charlotte's favorite line when talking about Sirius Black.

(2) Oh no, Charlotte has fainted… Drat those devilishly charming smirks!

(3) This character is a reincarnation based upon the closest real life version of Severus Snape we know of: Charlotte's Spanish teacher. He really is a slimeball and a pervy, insane one too!

Finally, hugs and kisses to **harryp/charmedfreak**, **Summery-ice**, **Hallie Walker**, and **JellyBellys**!


	4. IV: Justice & Tension

Title: Anachronistic

Authors: Muse Calliope

Category: Angst/Drama

Rated: PG-13

Summary: Due to tragic circumstances, Hermione decides to go back to the past. She knows it's dangerous but now she's extremely desperate. She knows there are some serious repercussions but they can't be as bad as things are now…

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**................................**

"…in practice the magic art may be employed for the benefit either of individuals or of the whole community…the public magician occupies a position of great influence, from which, if he is a prudent and able man, he may advance step by step…"

- _The Golden Bough_, Sir James Frazer

**................................**  

Chapter Four: Justice and Tension

          "So Hermione, what do you think of Hogwarts?" Lily broke the awkward silence as the pair walked down Hogwarts' halls.

          "Ah – I just arrived here yesterday, but it seems pleasant so far."

          "Oh, that's good to hear." Realizing her stupidity (_how could she have an opinion when she was only here for a day or so?_), Lily decided to change the subject.

          "So how what was it like to be home schooled? Was anyone else in your neighborhood home schooled? Did you fancy anyone? Tell me about your family and friends."

          At the mention of friends and family, Lily realized she has said the wrong thing as Hermione's calm expression changed into a miserable looking one. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

_          Family and friends… _"It's alright, really." She reassured Lily in a gentle voice, though the comment was meant mainly for herself. She took a deep breath before going on.

          "Home schooling is actually not as bad as it sounds, though I guess learning with people my age is better. As for my family –" She broke off, having lost her voice. Just thinking about her family, even in a sickeningly fake, happy way, brought back rather disconcerting memories. She felt the familiar prickling in the corners of her eyes and she blinked furiously to hold her tears back.

          "Oh dear! I'm sorry! Please don't cry!" Lily stopped walking quickly in order to focus more intently on her clearly distressed friend.

_          I shouldn't cry. No, I shouldn't. I'm sure Mum, Dad, and everyone else wouldn't want me to grieve over them. I am a Gryffindor, not a coward._ Taking a shaky breath, while wiping away tears with the back of her hand, she spoke in the clearest tone she could muster. "My family is dead. They were killed by Voldemort last month. That's why I'm at Hogwarts." She continued, ignoring Lily's shock and bewilderment for saying the Dark Lord's name out loud. "I also have – had two best friends: Harry and Ron."

          "Oh, I'm so sorry Hermione." Lily herself was almost at the point of tears as well, after hearing Hermione's story. "And here I was, angry with you for saying I had a perfect life but compared to yours it must look good. Hermione, if this means anything, I'm truly sorry." Lily finished sincerely.

          Slightly wary of the inundation of concern for her, Hermione looked at the red head. As she met those familiar blazing emerald orbs, she understood. Lily actually cared about her and was not just taking care of her out of pity, just like Harry and Ron. A small smile played on Hermione's lips, a signal that she was better and they could let the topic go.__

          Their walking eventually came to a stop in front of the opaque doors leading into the Transfiguration classroom. Taking a good look around she noticed that very little had changed here either. Three rows of tables, each accommodating a pair of students, filled the room. There was a raised platform in front of the tables for the professor to address the students from and for the professor to place her highly organized desk. Behind the desk was the blackboard, which was currently erasing itself. At the front of the room sat McGonagall behind her desk, reading what looked to be homework from a group of students from her previous class who had rushed out in a hurry.

          The feeling of familiar comfort that was everywhere seemed to intensify and Hermione walked into the room full of confidence. She paid no attention to all curious gazes directed at her, merely following Lily towards the front. They sat at a table in front of two girls she did not recognize.

          "This is Charlotte and this is Amelia. They're my roommates and also my best friends." Lily motioned with her hand to the duo. "And this is Hermione Granger. Now girls I want you all to behave, and be nice to my new friend." Lily warned the two girls in a rather bossy voice.

          The blond girl, Amelia, immediately gave Hermione a sweet smile. The other one however, looked at Hermione with poorly hidden dislike and anger. She quickly opened her mouth and snapped, "So, you're the girl who was extremely rude to Lils here? Well, don't assume all Gryffindors are as forgiving as she is, otherwise you'll end up in a lot of trouble." Charlotte's eyes stared down Hermione's, displaying a fierce, protective side to the girl that seemed rather callous.

          Of course, Hermione instantly recognized her voice. _She was the one I angered this morning. _Resigning herself for a possible lecture and rant, she gulped. Charlotte, not expecting an answer, had turned away and was having a heated argument with Lily, who did not look happy.

          "Um…" She cleared her throat, and reclaimed their attention. "I'm sorry that I snapped at all of you. I haven't been myself lately, what with my transfer here, and I am truly sorry. Please forgive me." Hermione lowered her gaze in shame, not wanting to meet theirs'. But a part of her still refused to admit she was completely wrong. _If they only truly knew what I have been through…___

          Charlotte looked up surprised at the sincerity she heard in Hermione's voice and, looking at her contrite face, she knew she had to forgive the girl. First days were hard on everyone, she reasoned. "It's alright. I guess I should apologize for calling you a cow this morning," she spoke quietly. The last thing she needed was to get teased for actually conceding to defeat and apologizing to someone. As nice as the new girl seemed, she still had a reputation to keep.

          "It's quite all right, and it's a pleasure to meet all of you." Hermione's face broke into a small smile, which all three girls returned. They settled into a comfortable conversation, which Lily carefully directed, avoiding any topic that might cause any anxiety. Hermione appreciated the effort, even if it was conducted in a less than subtle manner.

          It felt extremely strange to Hermione to be smiling or laughing again, but she sure missed it. _It's just like old times._ For the first time in the past few months, she was actually enjoying a conversation and with strangers no less.

          "Oh Hermioneeee, your name is too long. Do you mind if I call you Hermy?" Charlotte asked.

          Hermione had to suppress a giggle that was building inside of her, remembering how Ginny used to call her that. "Of course not. One of my old friends-" She was not able to finish the sentence, because the bell had rung and Professor McGonagall had stood up, demanding the class' attention. Lily gave her a worried look at the mention of an old friend but she shrugged it off to focus on McGonagall.

          "Quiet everyone!" she barked, effectively silence even troublemakers like James and Sirius. "As you all have noticed, we have a new student among us. I expect you all to treat her with care and respect." Her gaze swept the room before settling on James and Sirius, turning into a stern look. Hermione got the impression that she was warning the duo that she was off limits for their pranks for at least a while. Neither boy acknowledged their guilt, plastering identical, fake innocent looks on their faces.

          "Yes well, today we will be turning the objects in front you into dogs. As of yet, the kind of dog does not matter so we shall stick to the simple incantation, _Metacanis _(1)_._ Later on in the week we shall advance into more specific transfigurations. Since dogs are the most complex living creature we have covered so far, especially when transforming a part of your object into a properly functioning brain, it will be much more difficult than the turtles. Now pay attention to the wand movement as it is tricky to get at first…" And so McGonagall continued to explain for another 15 minutes.

          "Now, I will assign every one of you a partner, since we do not want any unwanted accidents." She finished the sentence and narrowed her eyes at Sirius and James once again, before moving on.

          "Now, Miss Evans, I would like you to help Miss Granger since she is new." McGonagall moved on pairing students while Lily gave Hermione a smile, and she returned it, grateful to not have been separated. She was however not happy about how low Professor McGonagall thought of her skills.

          "Mr. Potter and Miss Fronster." James groaned silently, and moved towards Amelia's table. Obviously, he had experience with Amelia's ways.

          "Mr. Black and Miss Turner." Charlotte, having been upset at being separated from her friends, seemed to perk up and be extremely satisfied with the pairing. She moved over to the other side of the classroom and made herself comfortable next to Sirius.

          "Mr. Lupin and Mr. Pettigrew." McGonagall finished, giving Remus a look before nodding in Peter's direction. Obviously, she wanted him to aid the struggling boy. Remus looked at Peter and shrugged.

          "You may begin. Please make sure to ask me about any questions that you have." The whole class started practicing, each trying to transfigure the object in front of into the dog. After several failed attempts, most people sat back to watch those known to be better at Transfiguration. James especially had a large audience which he kept entertained with various curses after each of his attempts failed. What surprised the class, though, was that James was not the first person who managed to produce a dog.

          "_Metacanis_." Hermione pointed her wand at the book in front of her, concentrating hard on the image of Sirius' animagus form, the only dog she could picture properly. The book immediately began to expand, changing in shape and texture. Soon, there stood a miniature form of Padfoot on the table, though this one had honey colored coat, similar to Hermione's own hair.

          Everyone in the room looked at Hermione in awe, including McGonagall. The silence that reigned was rather unnerving, especially when faced with the stares of her peers. But it was soon broken as Peter choked out, "Wow, even James can't do it," earning him a dirty look from James.

          James, evidently not liking his spotlight being stolen by a new girl, shot her one of his dirtiest looks.

          McGonagall scrutinized the bushy haired girl closer, before beaming at her for the first time. "Excellent job Miss Granger! Twenty points for Gryffindor. Everyone else, get back to work."

          The rest of the lesson progressed in silence, though with greater success. By the end of class, only Peter and Charlotte were unable to transfigure their objects, though Hermione suspect it was through a lack of effort on Charlotte's part. The girls left the classroom together and head to the great hall for lunch.

          "Oh Hermione, you should've seen Potter's face when you completed the spell before him. It was hilarious," piped a gleeful Lily. Both Hermione and Amelia giggled at in agreement, while Charlotte seemed to stare at random things dreamily.

          "Charlotte, Charlotte? Can you hear me?" Lily tapped her shoulder, concern written all over her face. Not receiving any attention, she shook her arm and, consequently, the rest of her while yelling into her ear. "Charlotte Turner! What are you thinking about?"

          Lily then ducked away quickly, expecting an equally shocking scream directed back at her, or use of aggressive actions. But instead Charlotte just looked at her and sighed dramatically. It reminded Hermione of Ginny when she was younger and still crushing over Harry.

          "I think I'm in love." Charlotte looked at the rest of them with a silly grin on her face.

          The others looked back at her with varying expressions. The newest Gryffindor just smiled to herself, having correctly interpreted the occurrences in Transfiguration.

          "What?" Lily yelped in shock. She had expected Amelia to be one of those lovesick puppies, but Charlotte? She did not even think she was interested in boys (not that she showed any interested in girls either, calling most of them "twittering dopes").

          Hermione, glancing over to study Amelia's reaction, was surprised to see a serene smile on her face as she watched the proceedings. Charlotte had either told her already or Amelia was very perceptive when she wanted to be.

          "Oh, he's got such lovely blue eyes, and I just love his hair – so black and shiny. Why didn't I see this before? Sirius is really handsome." Charlotte sighed again, skipping off to the Great Hall, not noticing her friends had not followed her.

          "Oh no, do you think Black put some kind of spell on Char?" Lily asked Hermione with a worried look.

          "No, I don't think so. Charlotte's fancied Sirius for a while now. Didn't you notice the way she always looked at him?" Amelia joined in.

          "Did she? How come she told you and not me?"

          "She didn't tell me, but it was sort of obvious the way she looked at him and stuff. Besides, didn't you see her skipping towards Sirius in Transfiguration? It reminds me of Claudia and Raoul in _Paradise's True Love_."

          _Alright, so maybe Amelia is not that perceptive_, Hermione mused. _She's just read plenty of romance novels with similar circumstances. _

          "Oh!" Lily remarked stupidly, not really knowing what Amelia was talking about. She sighed and continued, sounding gloomy. "Sirius won't date her. She's not his type. He's the one night stand kind of guy and Charlotte is not the type of person that can be satisfied with just a few snogging sessions. She's not one of those stupid airheads."

          "Yeah, let's just hope she can figure this whole thing out before it gets to her head and makes her do something silly. Margarita's love for Charles festered too long and she died of heartbreak in _The Lovers' Web_." Amelia's eyes slid out of focus as she began to imagine it all in her head.

          Hermione pulled on Amelia's sleeve, practically dragging her to lunch. _I guess Charlotte and Sirius never really had a relationship together, since I've never heard Sirius mention a Charlotte Turner. I wonder what happened to her. _She looked at the lovesick Charlotte as they entered the Great Hall and shook her head. _Poor girl, I certainly hope she finds happiness._

          Lunch was extremely uneventful. The girls spent most of the time trying to get Charlotte out of her daydream, but soon gave up. As for the Marauders, they were nowhere to be found, leaving both Hermione and Lily extremely suspicious.

          Eventually, Amelia left early to get tutored by Remus in Defense Against the Dark Arts. After Amelia left, Hermione and Lily spent the remaining time talking about books, while Charlotte was still in her daydream. They left the great hall together, and walked toward the Gryffindor tower, chattering softly.

          "Hippogriff." Lily smiled kindly at the fat lady.

          "Hello Lily dear. I hope you had a nice day so far." The fat lady returned the gesture before swinging open.

          "A very nice day, indeed." Lily nodded politely as the portrait opened and revealed the common room. She walked in, closely followed by Charlotte and Hermione.

          The common room was almost empty, except for Amelia and the Marauders, who were "studying" in the corner. Most students still had class at this time.

          Charlotte, after keeping quiet for the majority of the trek to the tower, felt her heart 'skip a beat' (as she later described to the other girls) at the sight of Sirius sitting in the corner. As one who was rather bold, she bounded over to the table. "Hello, Sirius. Why didn't you go to lunch?"

          "Well, me and James here have to finish our DADA homework, since we have detention tonight." He answered without raising his head.

          Hermione watched the exchange with some interest but knew it was not going anywhere. Lily had told her that Sirius never cared much for Charlotte. She was always the other girl in Gryffindor to him. Apparently, Charlotte had a few secret admirers, but they remained secret for a reason. Anyone in their right mind would not go near her and declare their love, unless they want a permanent scar on their face.

          "Oh I see. I guess I won't be seeing you later then. What did you and Potter do now anyway?" He obviously noticed her sudden change in mood, Hermione noted, watching him flick his eyes up at her for a moment before returning to his paper.

          "Nothing, nothing," he replied, as he met her eyes and gave her an innocent look before concentrating on his essay again.

          "Alright." She dropped her eyes, and walked toward Hermione and Lily, who had taken comfortable seats by Amelia and Remus.

          Hermione watched the exchange intently, hiding her interest behind a neutral face. It seemed all of Charlotte's attempts to talk to Sirius were fruitless. He never gave the impression that it was anything more than a casual talk with one of his buddies. He ignored her all throughout Potions but during Transfiguration they seemed to be having a great time, laughing and smiling all the way through the lesson. Maybe it had something to do with her looks then? After all, Charlotte was a far cry from what Sirius seemed to prefer: the blonde sluts that looked like they had just walked straight out of a magazine.

          Hermione returned to listening to Lily and Remus help Amelia and Peter (who had joined the party while she was watching Charlotte) after making a mental note to talk to the girl about a change in her wardrobe and accessories. After all, having a steady relationship might help ground Sirius and teach him not to act before thinking. It was a slight way to prevent him from going to Azkaban if all her manipulating failed otherwise and the Potters died.

          Charlotte dropped into one of the chairs miserably, listening to their conversation half-heartedly with a scowl on her face.

          "Amelia, do you understand the Patronus Charm theoretically?" Remus asked patiently, studying the blond girl in front of her as she furrowed her eyebrows in deep concentration.

          "Ah…I believe the professor mentioned it before," she answered carefully, sounding almost afraid to answer incorrectly. "But, I got scared when the professor started to talk about Dementors and drifted off a bit."

          "How can you get scared by hearing the word 'Dementors'?" Charlotte asked out loud, unexpectedly. They both, however, just ignored her and continued.

          "No problem, I will just start from the beginning." Remus opened up his books, and flipped through some of his notes before talking again. "As you should be aware of, Dementors are dark creatures that feed off of a person's happy memories. They are also capable of sucking one's soul out, and when they do that it is called a Dementor's Kiss." Amelia shivered, lost in thought for a moment, as did Lily and Charlotte. Peter cringed and seemed to shrink into his seat. Yet, Hermione was either unaffected by Dementors or too deep in thought to listen to the conversation, which Remus doubted.

          Noticing the girls' mood darken, except for Hermione's, Remus wondered how she could not be bothered by the thought. It was not possible for anyone to have no bad memories, was it? Saving the thought for later, he moved on.

          "The only reason the Patronus charm can outstand a Dementor is because of the happiness it contains. You have to think of an extremely happy memory and then say the incantation, _Expecto Patronum_. A true Patronus is rarely produced. Usually, most wizards and witches can only produce a silvery wisp of vapor. According to the professor, we shall start trying to perform the spell in the advanced NEWT class of our seventh year so maybe you could see one then. But remember that a true Patronus takes shape as the wizard or the witch that produced the charm." Remus managed to finish the whole speech, and even though he had spoken slowly so that Amelia could understand it better, he still needed to pause for a breath. Looking pleased with himself, he noticed that Sirius and James were also listening.

          Remus opened his mouth again to continue the lecture when Lily butted in. "No, that's wrong. If a witch or a wizard can produce a true Patronus, it will take shape of an animal, which symbolizes the caster," she spoke confidently in her bossy voice.

          "I don't think so Lily. I don't remember ever copying that down during DADA." Remus argued calmly.

          "Remus is right Evans. Plus he is a lot better than you at DADA." James added from his newly acquired seat next to Remus, causing his friend to blush. Sirius, getting up and following James to where a major argument was undoubtedly brewing, poked Peter, who fell out of his chair with a squeak, and took his seat.

          "That doesn't mean he can't make a mistake every now and then. And I specifically remember reading this in one of the books in the library, Potter. Unlike you, I actually work hard and earn whatever I get." Lily snapped angrily as she stood up.

          "Well Evans, why don't you prove it? And I don't mean running to get some book that you easily transfigure in the hallway on the way back to prove what you want." James felt his temper rising, as Remus and Peter moved closer to him to prevent him from doing anything stupid.

          "I can't prove it unless you're expecting me to conjure a Patronus. Charlotte, help me out here, will you?" Lily hissed in frustration.

         "Er – I'm sorry Lily. I was sleeping when the professor did this lesson," answered Charlotte, embarrassed, as she scratched her head nervously.

          "Hermione!" Lily wailed, looking desperately at her last hope of winning this verbal spar.

          Hermione was still in a trance when Lily called her. Ever since the charm was mentioned, memories from her third year came flooding back: discovering the truth about Sirius, meeting Wormtail, Professor Lupin transforming, Wormtail's escape, the Dementors' attack, and Harry desperately fight off those Dementors.

          She snapped out of it to look up see the worried gazes of the others. Looking around at everyone, her eyes met Remus' golden ones for a brief second before looking away. Apparently, one look was enough for him to sense trouble as he continued to stare at her intently, suspicious of the sorrow he had certainly seen on her face before she could place a mask of tranquility on it. She could feel his eyes burning into her soul, almost as if he was looking right through her.

          "I'm sorry Lily. I wasn't paying attention to what you were talking about," she answered in unsteady voice barely a whisper.

          "What were you thinking anyway? You looked like you were in a trance or something." Sirius interjected, asking her with an uncaring, arrogant voice. He obviously did not care what it was, as long as it provided a distraction and prevented any more trouble from arising between Potter and Evans.

          "It's rather private and I would prefer not to say anything." Hermione looked down at her lap, unable to meet Sirius' crystal blue eyes. Many of the memories she had be thinking about were about him. _Of course, he wouldn't know, _she thought bitterly.

          "In any case Hermione, I wanted to ask you about the Patronus charm." Lily broke the tension. "Does the Patronus take the shape of an animal or the caster's image?" Lily asked, condensing the whole debate.

          "The Patronus charm takes shape as an animal that symbolizes the caster," Hermione answered confidently, noticing the smug look on Lily's face.

          "See Potter, I told you."

          "Why should I listen to you, Granger?" James asked, shifting his attention from the red head to the brunette. "Unless you can prove it, I won't believe you." He finished, confident that she could not produce a true Patronus.

         Hermione looked at James, veiling her annoyance and dislike, with a look of thoughtfulness before sighing. _How can he be Harry's father? He's such a self-centered conceited pig. I'll show him who's right! _Her eyes met James' hazel ones with a surprising amount of conviction, causing him to loose his nerve for a moment. But he just renewed it, determined not be beaten by the new student.

          "Of course Potter, I would be glad to show you." Hermione answered, smirking in a way unfamiliar to those in the room. This was definitely not the answer the others were expecting, if the looks they gave her were a clue. Even Lily seemed to think she was acting slightly crazy.   
         

          Standing up and moving towards the middle of the room, Hermione checked to see if anyone else was in the common room, but as most students had class or were in the library, it was empty.

          She closed her eyes in deep concentration, thinking back to the good times, the memories she had depended on to help her fight off Dementors, the former Dark Lord's latest allies. _I'm back at the Burrow with Mum, Dad, all the Weasleys, Harry, Tonks, Remus, Sirius, and the rest of the Order who came out to eat dinner together, forgetting about Voldemort for one night. _With that thought she yelled, "_EXPECTO PATRONUM_!"

          An oversized otter, probably the size of Fawkes, flew out of her wand. Magnificent, silver fur covered a smooth, streamline body, ending in an adorable little tail. It gave her an excited look, one full of mischief, before leaping away. After a few laps around the common room, it settled down on her feet, feeling as light as her thoughts. The otter, which she had affectionately named Phoebus, nipped lightly at her leg kindly, before disappearing in a cloud of silver vapor.

          For several minutes, the heavy blanket of silence descended upon the common room. Once again, Hermione found herself faced with the astonished gazes of her classmates. Though the looks on their faces were priceless, she soon began to grow impatient and uneasy. It was not like the Patronus charm was that hard to do. They were acting like she had revealed to them that she was a god instead of a gifted pupil.

          Finally, it was Charlotte who spoke and shattered the peace. "That was abso – bloody – lutely amazing!"

          "Where did you learn that?" a disbelieving Remus asked with more than a slight amount of suspicion tingeing his voice. Before it could lead to anything else he shook his head and moved on. "Wow, you must be really lucky to have had a teacher that would actually teach you how to do the charm. Can you teach me?"

          Hermione gazed at Remus with an amused look, considering just how ironic the situation was really. Remus had taught her the spell and now he wanted her to teach it to him. She let out a chuckle. "Sure Remus. You know, the man that taught me this actually sort of reminds me of you. Not only that but you're both were- weirdly obsessed with Defense."

          The minute she slipped, she winced and regretted it. While mentally, berating herself for messing up, she studied him for a sign he caught it. _He's a werewolf, and they have special senses. There's a good chance he knows I didn't say what I wanted to._

          "Uh…really? Someone that reminds you of me? Interesting…" He let the conversation drop, focusing on Hermione as he was certain by now that she was hiding something and was intent on uncovering what it was. On the other hand, Hermione did everything to avoid his gaze, hoping for someone to distract his attention.

          James had been silent all this times, at first shocked by the fact that she could summon a Patronus, then awed by the sight of it, and finally fuming that he was suckered again by that Granger girl. "I'm going for a walk." With that, James rushed out of the common room.

          Sirius looked around, checking that everything was settled down and that there would be no more excitement. He then shrugged and got up to follow James, grinning at his friend's embarrassment. James had looked like his ego was struck by lighting, and he could not help but let an inane smile work its way onto his face.

          "I think I'm going to the library to do further research on the Patronus charm. This has been an interesting study session and I think that's enough for today," he said, never taking his eyes off of Hermione, whose face remained blank. Finally, he sighed and began putting away his things. "Well, I shall see you all at dinner." With one last look at the brunette, he walked out of the common room; his hurried pace unable to match the speed of his thoughts.

_          There is something about that Hermione Granger. It's as if she knows and has seen more than she's showing. The others might not be able to see it, but I can sense it._

          He reminded himself of the situation in the common room last night and during Potions. _I wonder what she's hiding. No ordinary girl is able to produce a Patronus charm. Most adults can't do it, only exceedingly strong wizards and witches, which means she is, but where did she get the training from? Could she be part of the dark side? _

Deciding that the best way to find out was to become her friend, he resolved to get to work. He considered asking the rest of the Marauders for help but quickly dismissed the idea. Peter was no good at subtly, Sirius would tell him he was being paranoid, and James was too angry to sit near the girl, let alone talk to her. So that left him on his own, but he did not really mind. He was used to solitude and he liked it even at some times.

          _I'll find out what you are hiding behind that mask of yours Hermione Granger, mark my words. _

End Chapter Four. To be continued

................................

Authors' Notes:

(1) Anyone who knows Latin knows that was a very crude spell. It literally means 'change dog' but the connation should be better than that.

Sorry for the weird chapter mix up. The formatting and the order are all fixed now. Plus, it's an extra long chapter too.

And before you ask, Sirius is not going to end up with an OC.

You guys like it so far? Let us know! Review!

Special thanks to **Lady Prongs**, **Tielle**, **MaisjetadoreSiriusNoir**, **Sphinx Class of 2008**, **Emmeh** (the other Slyths will be coming in soon but Hermione has to settle first, ok?), **Captain Oblivious** (Charlotte says she loves your writing!), and **harryp/charmedfreak**.

As Amelia's friend likes to say: you guys rock our socks!


	5. V: If You Can’t Leave It Be

Title: Anachronistic

Authors: Muse Calliope

Category: Angst/Drama

Rated: PG-13

Summary: Due to tragic circumstances, Hermione decides to go back to the past. She knows it's dangerous but now she's extremely desperate. She knows there are some serious repercussions but they can't be as bad as things are now…

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**................................**

"What was he doing, the great god Pan,

Down in the reeds by the river?

Spreading ruin and scattering ban,

Splashing and paddling with hoofs of a goat,

And breaking the golden lilies afloat

With the dragon-fly on the river."

- _A Musical Instrument_, Elizabeth Barrett Browning

**................................**  

Chapter Five: If You Can't Leave It Be

          James Potter walked down the halls as quickly as he could without actually running and alerting Filch or any teachers.

          He was furious at the Granger girl. But more importantly, he was embarrassed, at being beaten. And to have been beaten at something that was his forte infuriated and mortified him even more. And to have it done by the new kid who knew nothing about him or the way things went around Hogwarts. And to have Lily seen the whole debacle. And-

          "Hey, Prongs! Wait for me!"

          James spun around swiftly on his heels with a scowl plastered on his face. His angry rant had preoccupied him enough to leave him completed distracted so that Sirius had managed to take him by surprise, despite the fact that his friend had done nothing to muffle the sound of his feet on stone floors. He was not in the mood to deal with Padfoot's jokes right now.

          "What?" James asked briskly.

          Sirius slowed to a stop in front of him and held up his hands, palms facing outwards in a sign of his peaceful intent.

          "Calm down, Prongs. There's no need to snap at me. It's not my fault Evans is in the common room right now probably laughing at you until she turns blue."

          "I think that's enough. I get the point." James grounded out, turning even redder.

          "You sure? All the blood pounding in your head may have prevented you from hearing me properly."

          "There's no blood pounding in my head." James snapped.

          "Yes there is. I can tell by looking at you. Your whole face is red, especially the tips of your ears and your fists are clenched tightly and your jaw is snapped shut so forcefully, I can see the muscles in it twitching." Sirius smirked at him calmly.

          Taking a deep breath, James forced himself to relax, feeling only marginally better once he had. With a quick turn to face away from his friend, he began walking in the same direction he was heading with Sirius falling in step with him easily.

          The pair continued walking in silence while James stewed some more, interrupted only so often by Sirius humming softly. Finally, the silence or the humming (he could not tell which one) became too oppressive for James.

          "So what's our plan?" He asked softly, his voice conveying his silent apology for being rude.

          "Well, I figure we head to the kitchen and get a snack." Sirius replied nonchalantly, letting his best friend know that he had already forgotten about it.

          "I'm not talking about that, Padfoot. I meant what happened just now in the common room."

          "Oh. So where are we headed if not the kitchens?" The question momentarily surprised the bespectacled Marauder, causing a short relapse of silence.

          "I'm not sure but until we figure that out you have to help me think of a way to get revenge on Granger."

          "But McGonagall told us she's off-limits. If anyone pranks Granger, she's going to blame us."

          "Well, what should I do?" James asked feeling rather peeved. Not only did Hermione Granger best him, but there was no way for him to get her back.

          "Maybe you should try focusing on your fair lady Lily." Sirius teased him in a sing song voice.

          "Padfoot, I doubt she's _still_ laughing," James responded dryly.

          "No, but what are the odds she'll be able to keep a straight face the next time she sees you, eh Prongs?"

          James sighed, realizing the truth behind Sirius's joke.

          "But then again," his best friend continued merrily, "Maybe she'll be too busy hexing you and telling you how much she wants to kill you to laugh."

          "Oh stuff it. Lily is just one of those people who takes a lot of time and effort to be wooed. She'll come around eventually. You'll see."

          "Oh yeah. Of course. That's what the real reason is. I believe you Jamesie." Sirius snorted while giving his partner in crime a condescending look.

          "And what would you know about matters of love? All you know how to do snog some blonde bimbo and then drop her as soon as you see the next pretty face."

          "I'll have you know that it takes some serious skill and romancing abilities to get them that far." Sirius responded, lifting his nose up and giving a hurt, yet dignified, sniff.

          "Ha! You probably grab one in the halls and just starting kissing her there. Then, she probably gets excited, thinking that's she's finally captured the heart of Sirius Black, Hogwarts' most notorious playboy, so she allows you to continue. After that you head off, leaving her alone and googly eyed. She'll expect a repeat performance but when you don't even seem to notice the next day, she seeks you out and then – wham! – you break her heart into pieces by saying it was nothing more than a fling." James finished, feeling out of breath but triumphant in beating Padfoot in this round of playful arguing.

          "Yes, but why do you think they let me go that far? Could it perhaps be the way I treat them like they mean the world to me or the way I speak sweet nothings in their ears?" Sirius replied, grinning.

          "You? Sweet nothings? I have never heard anything nice or polite come out of your mouth except when you're lying to professors." James snorted, amused by the idea of a suave and debonair Sirius Black ever existing.

          "Well at least I'm getting some action, unlike certain lonely stags that spend their evenings alone in their bedrooms, mooning over unrequited love."

          "I'd get some too if I didn't have any morals."

          "Hey! I resent that. I have plenty of morals. Just because you lack skills that I have in abundance doesn't mean you should strike out at me."

          "Prove it then," James said confidently.

          "Don't you remember what happened the last you said that? Granger humiliated you into the dust."

          "Shut up. There's no way I can lose this."

          "And what exactly is 'this'?" Sirius asked, slightly curious now after seeing the devious smirk on his fellow Marauder's face.

          "A challenge, a dare, call it what you like. Here are the rules: you publicly woo someone for as long as it takes to for them to love you. In the mean time you have to stay celibate to make it seem like you're really in love. If you can't get the girl to love you by the end of the year or remain 'faithful' to her, you lose. Understand?"

          "Yes. And what happens if I succeed?"

          "Then I yield and acknowledge you as the great one. Deal?" James smirked.

          "Yeah, deal. But what do you say to raising the ante a little?" Sirius asked with a devious smile of his own.

          "In what way?"

          "Well, I chase after this girl while you continue after Lily but more earnestly this time. The same rules apply to you as to me and in the end whoever gets the girl first wins. The winner then gets to make the loser do whatever horribly embarrassing thing he wants."

          "Hmmm, I'll take it. Considering the girl I've got picked out for you, you'll never win."

          "And who is this mystery girl, my dear Mr. Prongs?" Sirius asked with his curiosity rapt.

          "Why it's dear Miss Hermione know-it-all Granger. Is there anything unsuitable with my choice?" James asked flippantly.

          "Just your motive. Why her?"

          "Because either way, I win. If you lose, I get it rub it in your face, and there are is a good chance of that. I get the impression she doesn't like either of us so good luck. You'll need it. But _if_ you win and get her heart, then you can end the 'relationship' and break her heart. I'll get my revenge then, indirect as it may be, and McGonagall can't do anything about it to either of us."

          "Dear me, Mr. Prongs. That is devilishly tricky of you. But since I have already accepted, I have no choice but to continue with the bet and to compliment you on your cleverness," Sirius spoke in his best imitation of an elderly aristocrat (which was very good considering he had met so many of them).

          James laughed happily before checking his watch. "We still have another two hours until dinner starts. If you want, we can go to the kitchens and grab a snack."

          "Alright. But first we consolidate the deal. So let's shake on it." Sirius stuck out his hand, which was quickly grasped by James and thrust enthusiastically several times before they let go and began walking to the kitchens.

          "Remember," James added, "It all officially starts at midnight tonight, so make sure to have something planned and ready to be executed by tomorrow."

          "Of course. And don't think the same doesn't apply to you, Jimmy." Sirius teased again.

          "I haven't and don't call me that!"

          "What are you going to do if I don't?"

          "Maybe I'll just hex you, huh? Ever think of that?"

          "Truthfully, no. You couldn't hit me with a charm no matter how hard you tried. In case you haven't noticed, my grandmother has better aim than you." And with that final comment, Sirius took off, zigzagging through the corridors in hopes of avoid his best friend's wrath.

          "Why you little bastard. Get back here!" James then began to chase the other Gryffindor down the halls in the hopes of pushing him into a professor or worse.

End Chapter Five. To be continued.

**................................**

Authors' Notes:

Yes, yes, we know this chapter is very short and extremely late. If anyone wants a reason, you can blame it on that fact that we both had a least five projects each to finish. And now that finals and regents exams (we live in New York) are coming up, it'll get harder to update. But obviously, we're not giving up and you should expect a new chapter hopefully within a week or two.

The chapter title is taken from a song by Dashboard Confessional, "If You Can't Leave It Be, Might As Well Make It Bleed".

Finally, homemade cookies filled with love go to:

**Captain Oblivious**

**harryp/charmedfreak**

**Honolulu**

**Rane2920072**

**MaisjetadoreSiriusNoir** – Thanks for the tip. It's been duly noted and corrected.

**Avestia**

**Magic Crystal Rose** – Peter is not going to be in the forefront for a while until… well we're not giving away until what

**s.s. harry** – Alas, even your power was not enough to make us update sooner. Sorry.


	6. VI: Love Is In The Air & I Have Allergie

Title: Anachronistic

Authors: Muse Calliope

Category: Angst/Drama

Rated: PG-13

Summary: Due to tragic circumstances, Hermione decides to go back to the past. She knows it's dangerous but now she's extremely desperate. She knows there are some serious repercussions but they can't be as bad as things are now…

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**................................**

"Solitude is dangerous to reason, without being favorable to virtue… Remember that the solitary mortal is certainly luxurious, probably superstitious, and possibly mad."

- Dr. Samuel Johnson

**................................**

Chapter Six: Love Is In The Air And I Have Allergies

          Just like any other day, Lily walked out of the girls' dormitory with her best friends, Charlotte and Amelia. Also accompanying them this time was Hermione Granger, chatting softly with Lily about the pros and cons of the policy of prohibiting the use of magic by underage wizards outside of school. Just like any other day, the girls walked out of the common room and headed for the Great Hall. And just like any other day, a boy in his mid-teens with raven black hair and mischievous hazel eyes approached Lily. But, unlike all those other days, said boy smiled charmingly before conjuring a bouquet of lilies. This action not only surprised the girls and the Marauders, but many other students waiting to enter the Hall.

          "Lily Evans, would you please accept these lilies. Though they are not as beautiful as you are, it's the best I can do," he spoke with a genuine smile that Lily felt unused to after years of seeing nothing but smirks.

          Expecting her to take the flowers and thank him, he held them out eagerly. But instead Lily blinked. She blinked once, twice, three times. Clearing his throat and trying again (maybe she just did not hear him properly), he did a dramatic bow. "Miss Lily Evans, I conjured these flowers for you. Please take them as a sign of my love for you."

          Cautiously, Lily took the flowers, not sure whether to thank her admirer or check for hexes. They look just like any other lily flowers found in florists' shops. However these lilies came from the hands of the infamous James Potter. After a tense moment, in which Lily held the blossoms as though they were a ticking time bomb, she realized that nothing had happened to her. Looking up into Potter's eager eyes, she smiled uncertainly.

          "Er, thank you Potter – I mean James." Finding herself urged on by his approving smile and nodding head, she continued more determinedly. "This is very… uh… nice of you. Let's just hope that I'm not allergic to your lilies."

          Appeased by Lily's comments, James nodded and smiled keenly, not noting her wary eyes or the suspicion laced into her last comment.

          He continued to nod and smile while she stood with the flowers in her hands, feeling the awkwardness of the situation increase. The red head looked at her friends for advice or possibly a rescue attempt; otherwise she was not sure how she would escape her admirer. Usually by this point, Potter would have made a rude comment, she would get angry, Charlotte would jump to her defense, and they would all argue before the two groups of sixth year Gryffindors split up and left in a huff.

          Thanking his lucky stars for getting this far, James scratched his head, casting about in his mind for a new topic of conversation that Lily would enjoy. Did she like games? Quidditch, perhaps? No, she thought it was a waste of time. Well, she was prefect so maybe something related to school? What subject did she like again? Oh yes – Charms.

          "Did you enjoy the lesson on switching charms last week?"

          Lily could not believe her ears, nor, she thought she heard, could many of her nearby classmates. James Potter was going beyond being civil and attempting intelligent conversation with her. He was trying to _talk_ instead of… of his normal tactics. This was a monumental occasion. Privately, Lily thought he had finally begun to grow up.

          "Yes, I, er, rather enjoyed the lesson. The charm was quite easy."

          A loud snort of derision was heard coming from Charlotte's vicinity. Rolling her eyes skyward, she turned and began tugging at Amelia's arm to go to breakfast. Amelia, however, waved her off, wanting to see what would happen next. The dark haired girl huffed before leaving for the Great Hall sulking.

          "How did you like the charm?" Lily asked, feeling almost hopeful that this was not another prank.

          "I… I enjoyed it a lot too. At first I didn't understand the theory but now it's easy." James searched his mind for any information on switching charm, but he came up blank. Then, he remembered that he was in the back of the classroom planning a prank with Sirius on Slytherins and had not paid attention to the day's lesson. James briefly wondered how Lily could think of Charms as fun. Sometimes, he just did not understand girls. Mentally, he shook his head.

          "Oh? And what part gave you trouble?"

          "The… uh… the part where we had to banish the kitten and call up the mitten?"

          "But we worked on silverware sets during the entire lesson. There were no kittens or mittens." Lily wore a baffled expression on her face.

          This time Hermione snorted in amusement. She could easily see what James was trying to do and it made her want to laugh out loud at his idiocy. But she controlled herself, and taking Amelia and Charlotte's elbows gently, she steered the other Gryffindor girls towards the Great Hall. She had seen all that she needed to and if they did not move quicker they were going to be late for breakfast. Over her shoulder, Hermione noticed Remus prodding the others to follow.

          Judging by the bemused look that Lily gave him, James understood that his guess at what happened during class was wildly off. Furrowing his brow, he tried to move the conversation to a safer topic, one where he would not look like a fool.

          While James was deep in thought, Lily noticed the absence of her friends. She immediately knew that the conversation should end. Even though the raven haired teenager was a Gryffindor, she still did not trust him when they were alone in a corridor. He was James Potter after all, the notorious Marauder.

          "Oh look, they left without us. How inconsiderate of them. I should go." She walked off quickly, without waiting for a reply. "It was nice talking to you Pot- James, and the flowers are beautiful. Have a nice day." Her voice echoed in the halls.

          The Gryffindor stood there for a second, dumbfounded. Lily Evans had just thanked him. And she said she liked talking to him. A knowing smirk spread across on his handsome features, and he whispered delightedly, "Sirius, prepare to lose."

          James Potter walked towards the Great Hall, whistling merrily.

**................................**

          When Lily entered the Hall and took her normal seat with her friends, she found Amelia daydreaming once again, Hermione with her nose buried in another book, and Charlotte with a dark look on her face. She had an idea of why her best friends looked upset and decided to remain nonchalant, hoping the whole thing could be ignored until they forgot about it.

          While Lily buttered her toast, Charlotte sent her shifty looks. While she poured herself some juice, Charlotte fidgeted in her seat. Things did not seem to be settling down, but rather escalating. She should have known; Charlotte was never one to hide her feelings. Setting down her toast delicately, Lily stared down at her plate and waited. Confronting Charlotte with her own feelings never worked. One had to wait until she was ready to let it out when she felt she had to. Luckily that never took long.

          Just as Lily thought that she had gotten away cleanly and decided to try for a sip of her juice, did her friends decide she was ready to 'talk'.

          "What in Merlin's name were you thinking of when you accepted those flowers? Did you even think at all?"

          Lily's hand shook in surprise and some juice spilled onto her lap. Frowning, she grabbed a napkin and began dapping at her robes.

          "I was thinking that it was the polite thing to do."

          "Well maybe you didn't think about it enough. Otherwise you would have realized just who gave you those flowers."

          "I fully realized who it was. Don't think I've forgotten everything James Potter has done to us." Lily's tone was clipped, her patience for Charlotte quickly running out. After all, to not like someone was one thing, and to despise that person with a never ending passion was another.

          "Really? Because back there it seemed like you had completely forgotten and became another sniveling idiot by his side!"

          "Don't be ridiculous Charlotte. I was not. He may be an insensitive jerk but if he's trying to behave better then even you should forgive him." The red head replied calmly. She could tell they were almost at the end of this little tiff. Charlotte only had a few more scathing comments left in her, most likely.

          "And what, erase the past five years? In case you've forgotten, this is Potter we're talking about. The same bloody arse that played pranks on us a million times! You're supposed to hate Potter."

          "Charlotte, I don't _hate_ anyone and I don't want to. Not Potter, not the Slytherins, not even Professor Letenzi. And neither should you."

          Charlotte could not believe what she was hearing from her best friend. She could understand not judging a whole group of Slytherins based on a few, but this. This was about a person who had repeatedly proved himself to be the most egotistical, arrogant, ignorant person at Hogwarts: James Potter.

          The brunette ground her teeth together in frustration. She hated it when Lily took the high, moral way. Mainly because it always lead her to lose their arguments. Looking for someone else to vent her ire, Charlotte turned to the other girls. Neither one seemed to take any notice.

          Amelia had finished her breakfast and was now reading her romance novel, a piece of trash in Charlotte's opinion. As for the ever mysterious Hermione, she was also deeply fascinated with some ancient book, one that probably had a great magical worth but was a complete bore.

          "Well, you two? What do you have to say?" She asked the girls, impatiently.

          Amelia looked up and smiled her friend. "It's Lily's turn to win the argument. You won the last one, remember?" She returned to her book, but not before sneaking a longing look at the bouquet in question.

          Moving her gaze to Hermione, Charlotte's eye's narrowed in suspicion. She had a feeling the girl would take Lily's side. She was right, of course. Hermione, who had been focusing half her attention on the squabble, returned her gaze to the book and spoke calmly.  

          "I think, Charlotte, that you should let Lily live her own life. James Potter might seem very arrogant, but people change. If he is willingly to change for Lily, I think we should all give him a chance. It shows how much he cares for her." Or at least Hermione hoped he would change enough for Lily to like him. Harry's life currently depended on it.

          Turning away from the pair of bookworms, Charlotte once more directed her angry gaze at the red headed Gryffindor, who was at the other end of the table, checking up on the first years, like she did for the first two weeks of every new school year.

          The Gryffindor watched her best friend for a little while before turning back to her meal. She sighed, knowing the others were right. It wasn't Lily's fault that James Potter was an ass, or that he liked her, or that he was an ass while he liked her.

          When Lily had returned, they smiled tentatively at each other before Charlotte spoke.

          "I'm sorry. For, you know, before."

          "It's alright. I understand why you would get upset." Lily simply glanced at the Marauder in question, then back at the flowers, and started eating. "If you like, I'll get rid of the flowers."

          "No, there's no need. I'm pretty sure by now that he had good intentions. This time."

          While the Gryffindor six years were talking amongst themselves, the rest of the school was watching the owl post. When the last of the birds had delivered their packages and left, people returned to their food. However, a loud hoot made everyone look up once more.

          In flew a gorgeous snowy owl, with feathers so fair, it put Hedwig to shame, and with soft amber eyes. A light pink, almost white, letter was clutched in its claws, while it held a blood red rose in its mouth.

          Slightly intrigued as to the recipient of the rose and what was undoubtedly a love letter, Hermione followed the owl with her eyes. It flew up around the Hall once before gracefully gliding over each table, beginning with the end of the Slytherin table. It moved over the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables with about as much interest, only slowing down once it reached the Gryffindor table.

          By the time the owl had passed the fourth years, she was almost certain the gifts were for Lily. But to her immense surprise, it flew right over the red head and landed elegantly in front of her. The bird gave her an intense look, before bowing its head slightly and placing the rose in front of her. Attached to the flower was a small tag addressed to her, signed '_Your Secret Admirer_'.

          Perhaps she was being a little paranoid, but Hermione could have sworn that the entire assembly in the Great Hall was watching her. Nervously, Hermione looked at the rose before reaching for the letter. The creature, however, seemed to have a different idea of what should happen to the letter. It hopped backward, away from her hands, and took off.

          The snowy beauty sailed towards the middle of the Great Hall, and, once it reached its destination, its talons dropped the pink letter. As it fell delicately, the note opened itself. Immediately, the Hall was full of the sounds of soft music. Soon after the opening notes, an equally soft voice began to sing.

          "_I wanna walk with you _

_          On a cloudy day_

_          In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high_

_          So won't you try to come_

_          Come away with me and we'll kiss _

_          On a mountain top_

_          Come away with me_

_          And I'll never stop loving you_

_          I wanna wake up with the rain_

_          Falling on a tin roof_

_          While I'm safe there in your arms_

_          So all I ask is for you_

_          To come away with me in the night_

_          Come away with me…_" (1)

          As the music stopped, the letter drifted on the floor soundlessly and disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Suddenly, the Great Hall broke out in whispers. Several students from all four houses kept glancing at the new girl, Hermione Granger.

          If she had taken a look at the Head table she would have noticed all the curious looks the Professors were giving her. But she did not care about that at the moment. Hermione did not pay any attention to the gossip currently circling about her. Nor, did she answer any questions that Lily, Amelia and Charlotte had been asking her continuously since the owl had landed in front of her. She did not see anything beyond the red rose, clutched tightly in her hand. She was having another flashback.

          It was so long ago, but it was an important recollection, so she kept it crystal clear in her memory. It was the day when Ron asked her to be his girlfriend. And it had been Valentine's Day.

          Unlike any other Valentine's Day, the school was not filled with hearts of every color this year. No Cupids were seen, nor was the color pink found in abundance anywhere (unless one sneaked a look at Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil). No songs or poems were exchanged; the school was feeling too gloomy for any of that. Students lived in fear because of the constant attacks. They feared for their parents, their friends and their relatives. No one bothered with the celebration of Valentine's Day, except for one: Ronald Weasley.

          It took Ron more than three years to gather up the courage, but it was definitely worth waiting for.

          It was a very calm morning. Ron, Harry and Hermione walked into the Great Hall. They sat down and began eating breakfast in silence. Their childhood was been slowly being taken from them, Hermione could feel it in her bones, and replaced with sorrow, fear and guilt. Not that certain member of the trio had much of childhood anyway, mused Hermione.

          As soon as she had finished her meal, Hermione took out her notebook, and began to translate some of the ancient texts Professor Dumbledore had given her. With the war raging on in the wizarding world, the Order was short of staff, and extra help was always needed, especially in the time-consuming area of research. The books Hermione was working on consisted of many complicated spells, which were theorized to have some affect on weakening or negating the Unforgivables.

          Hermione tried to get a jump start on her work but was unable to concentrate. Looking up from her books without moving her head, she noticed that Ron was fidgeting uncontrollable this morning. With her head down and her hair obscuring her face, Hermione was able to watch her two friends without being noticed.

          Every so often Harry would jab Ron in his side with his elbow before nodding in Hermione's direction with a significant look. Ron then nodded before returning to prodding his breakfast unenthusiastically. A few minutes later, Harry would jab him again, and the cycle repeated itself.

          Figuring that Ron had lost one of the books she had lent him to complete his Herbology homework and was to afraid to tell, she rolled her eyes and focused on her notes once more.  But before she could even finish the first sentence, Ron placed one of his big hands on the text and pulled it out of her grasp.

          Gryffindor's brightest mind looked up and met surprisingly open blue ones. He smiled at her in a very un-Ron-ish way. If he had lost her book, why would he be smiling at her? Perplexed, Hermione looked at Harry for help, but evidently, he was greatly amused by her confusion. Rising from the table, he gave her a wink and patted Ron on the shoulder reassuringly, already heading off to the Head table, possibly to have another chat with Professor Dumbledore.

          Slightly irritated, Hermione returned her gaze to the red head with a look that clearly said: _explain now!_ Laying her books aside carefully, Ron picked up her hand while avoiding her eyes. When Hermione raised an eyebrow, he blushed and hastily dropped it. Finally, he cleared his throat loudly and settled his gaze to a point above her left shoulder.

          "Uh… Hermione? I've wanted to ask you for ages… but I, ah, never had the courage to. And… um…  I haven't forgotten that today is Valentine's Day, even though the rest of the school seems to. And the thing is… well… I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but I want you to know before it is too late."

          Taking another deep breath, he spoke quickly, as if he did not want to consider what he was actually saying. "I like you a lot. Not I like you in the best mate way, but something more. Can you- Will you be my girlfriend?" The question sounded more like a mumble, but Hermione understood nonetheless and smiled.

          Ron, however, had closed his eyes and screwed up his face, as if expecting a slap from her. She smiled once more. Ever since she had slapped Malfoy, the boys had been wary of her right hook.

          Taking his large hands with her petite ones, she waited for him to look at her again. Ron opened his eyes slowly and looked at her with a confused expression. Before he opened his mouth to speak, Hermione cut him off.

          "Ron, I like you too…" she whispered.

          "Really?" he asked hopefully. She could not help but smile. He seemed so adorable at that moment.

          "Yes and not I like you in the best mate way," she answered teasingly.

          A look of relief passed over the red head's face. He sagged a little bit and sighed as the tension left his body. Then he looked up and gave her a smile so bright, she was taken back for a second. She never remembered anyone smiling at her like that. Slowly, Ron began to rub her hands with his thumb in a circular motion.        

          Hermione did not know what came over her to make her do something so bold, but she guessed it was her Gryffindor coming out; it did that periodically. Leaning in, she placed a small, chaste kiss on Ron's lips. While it was quick, it was also only the second kiss she had in her life. She wanted to show and reassure him that she felt the same way.

          Meeting each other's eyes, Hermione felt a warmth flood her. In his eyes, she saw love, friendship, joy, determination, faith, life and hope. She saw all the facets of life that Voldemort was trying to take away. It was in that moment that she began to believe in hope once again. It was in that moment that she finally discovered something to fight Voldemort with: love. It was in that moment that she saw a future for all of them.

          But that future was gone now. Even if her mission was a complete success, none of the members of the trio would be the same people they once were. Reality had stolen what faith had temporarily given back to her.

          Hermione blinked away the tears that had formed in her eyes and inspected her surroundings. Noticing that she was the focus of three worried glances, she smiled weakly and waved them off. While the other two relaxed and returned to their breakfast, Lily looked even more determined. Hermione recognized the look as one she had used often. It meant they were going to have a serious chat once classes were over and they were alone.

          Once again hearing the constant chatter between other students, her eyes traveled from one table to another, until they stopped at the Marauders. Did they do this? With a watchful eye, she observed the behavior of each boy. James seems to be irritated, but Sirius still carried that same handsome smirk. _Did I just say handsome?_

          Shaking her head slightly to clear her mind, she continued. Sirius was handsome and as an outsider she could say that without being like those crushing Hufflepuffs.

          Moving on, she was shocked to meet an equally intense gaze from Remus Lupin. His usually light amber eyes are now dark, full of thought, yet expressionless and closed off from the rest of the world at the same time. Unable to stay focused under such intensity, Hermione broke the stare, and turned to Lily.

          "I need some fresh air. I'll see you all in Charms later." With a last wave, she left the noisy Great Hall.

          Lost in her own thoughts, Hermione wandered aimlessly around the halls. After about ten minutes, she found her self in front the giant oak door that led to the Charms classroom. Pushing it open, she found that she was the first one to arrive. Quickly sitting somewhere in the back, she was once again preoccupied with her thoughts.

          She was interrupted once again. Irritated, she looked up and found herself starring at Sirius Black. Her mood suddenly changed to amusement when Sirius sat down next to her.

          She stared at him like he was crazy, choosing to sit next to her and not James. Raising an eye brow, she asked impassively, "Are you sure you're sitting in the right place?"

          "Of course I'm sitting in the right place." Sirius smirked at the new girl's question. "Why, who wouldn't want to sit next to a flower such as you?" He expected her to blush, and maybe even add a thank you. But far from it, she looked up into his eyes in shock, in guilt; in so many emotions that he could not even begin to place.

          Hermione turned away swiftly. She tried hard to keep an emotionless face, even though her heart was reacting erratically. The tingling sensation up her spine was soon replaced by misty thoughts of the old Sirius.

          To see Sirius back again, alive and healthy, made her eyes water. He would never know how much she would give for a hug, or a chance to tell him how much everyone missed him. She wanted to tell him how much Harry needed him, and just how important he really was to the Order. She wanted him to tell her how much she had changed, like an uncle she had not seen for a long time. She wanted those familiar yet distant eyes to look at her with recognition.

          All that she wanted, however, this Sirius could not give. This was not her Sirius. The man that experienced war, stress, depression, grief, betrayal, and death was no more. This was a soul she was determined to keep untainted by the worst of life. He was a Marauder, nothing more, and definitely not a notorious murderer. _He is not the man I knew_, she emphasized in her mind over and over.

          That particular class was one of the most awkward lessons she ever remembered having. Throughout the entire period, she tried her best to ignore him while to keep her emotions stable. That was not an easy job. The infamous boy tried so many advances on Hermione that she was almost ready to volunteer herself as a guinea pig for Flitwick to use to demonstrate the charms on the class. He did not seem to understand that if she did not respond to his arrogant smirks or compliments on her beauty, then he would not get a better reaction if he tried flirting or touching her hand under the table.

          Though the task was extremely difficult, Hermione managed to keep her distance by reminding herself who exactly this was. Not trusting her teenage hormones, however, she sped out of the class as soon as the professor announced that the lesson was over.

          Why was he acting this way towards her? Was he really interested in her? _No, no, no…_ She moaned miserably in her mind. He could not be interested in her! That was just not right. He was Harry's godfather after all. He simply did not know what he was doing. _I refuse to think this way about Sirius. Sirius is just Sirius. Nothing else._

          Finally making up her mind to not press the subject with herself, she allowed the other girls to catch up with her and walk her to her next class.

**................................**

          The entire day turned out to be a disaster for Hermione. Girls from all different years and Houses stopped her in the hallways to ask about the love letter. Even more students questioned her about the seating arrangements in Charms (which the rumor mill seemed to find out about and spread to the rest of the school), and about the most wanted bachelor in Hogwarts.

          By the end of the day, she had a terrible headache. The constant arguing between Lily and Charlotte also did not help the problems. While it was a daily occurrence between the two and done in a completely friendly manner, that did not change the fact that they were very loud whenever they did it.

          Hermione needed peace. She needed time alone. This definitely called for a walk. Normally, when she needed solitude, she would head for the library but she knew it would be full of people who would dive at the opportunity to speak to her about her admirer.

          Right after dinner, Hermione sneaked out of the Great Hall, not noticing the shadow that followed her. Once outside, she took a big breath and inhaled the refreshingly cold air. Setting off at a brisk pace, she headed towards the spot that Harry had shown her and Ron.

          She walked toward the lake near the Forbidden Forest, striding across the familiar grassy fields, where she would lay for hours just observing the sky. Inhaling deeply, she once more let the fresh oxygen flow through her lungs. Sitting by the large rock where she, Ron and Harry would always have picnics, she looked up at the sky.

          Harry loved this place. Mainly because, nearby there was an old tree (one that was thankfully calm, unlike the Whomping Willow) where James had carved "JP & LE" inside a heart into the bark of the tree. The carving still remained in Hermione's time, though she suspected that was only due to a charm on the wood.

          She stared at the lake with a blank face, feeling herself relax with each rhythmic beat of the waves on the shore. Returning her gaze to the sky, she noticed the reds, purples, oranges, pinks, yellows, all reassuring colors of the sunset spread across the sky in tangles. They interlaced with each other, creating colors and images that showed how the sky had survived through anger, war, blood, and Turning points in history.

          The fixedness of the stars, how they never changed despite what happened down on Earth, left her feeling her own insignificance in comparison to the universe. She began to doubt herself once again. With a wry smile, she realized that she had been doing that a lot recently. But that did not stop her from thinking.

          _I am but one person that was born during the unfortunate time period. There are thousands of people that lost their families, friends, and everything they once knew. Who am I to be bitter about the workings of universe?_ She mused sadly, feeling her mood sink once more.

          True, the war had left her as a lost girl, feeling like a victim. But that was not the full truth, was it? The true victims were those who never had a choice but got caught in the cross fire.

          She, on the other hand, knew what she was getting into and fully accepted it at the time the war had begun. While she could have easily fled and lived her life as a Muggle in a foreign country, she had decided to stay and fight for her loved ones and future generations of children born with the gift.

          It was times like these that Hermione missed her parents the most. She could talk with them about these things and they could always make her feel better, whether it was with a ridiculously serious scientific explanation or with a simple hug and a kiss. Thinking back to her childhood, Hermione remembered how her mother could never do anything for a long period of time without humming.

          Perhaps the love song had left her in a musical mood, or it was something else, but Hermione suddenly felt the need to sing out and fill the darkness that had surrounded her since the sunset had finished. Hermione thought back to a song she had heard the last time she visited her home for the summer, and began to sing, with a voice that mirrored the generally horrible feeling within her.

          "_One less call to answer_

_          Feeling full of despair_

_          Don't think I can get through it_

_          Just one last prayer_

_          And it's a leap of faith_

_          When you believe_

_          There's someone out there_

_          It's a leap of faith_

_          When you believe that_

_          Someone cares, oh_

_          And when I call out to you_

_          Will you be right there_

_          Right there._" (2)

          She exhaled sharply as tears threatened her visage once more. Casting one more look at the sky, she turned around to walk back to the castle. It was then she found that she was not alone. There right before her eyes, her old professor, her old mentor, her old friend stood. Remus Lupin was a man she had admired greatly almost ever since she figured out his secret.

          With an almost sympathetic look, Remus walked toward the vulnerable girl, and offered her his cloak. She had not even realized how cold she was until the pointed bestowing of the cloak made her notice her own shivering body against the night air.

          Possibly it was Remus's generous smile, or perhaps it was the bond of trust that they had formed in the future, but whatever it was caused Hermione to accept the piece of clothing. As she wrapped it around her shoulders, she inhaled deeply, remembering that soft, welcoming smell that was a part of Remus. Some researchers believed that the scent given off by a werewolf contained endorphines, which increased a person's the feeling of contentment and tranquility (3). At the moment, Hermione may have believed them, for nothing else could explain what she was feeling now. Then again, Hermione mused, it could just be the fact that she was with good old Remus, whom she could trust and who understood her better than most adults she knew, and she was just overanalyzing the situation.

          As he offered her his arm, she smiled slightly and closed the space between them with a hug. It was not a hug full of passion like a lovers' embrace, nor of sibling affection, but a hug of understanding and comfort.

          Though Remus did not understand why Hermione was crying, he was determined to help, comfort and befriend this mysterious yet beautiful young lady. His mind was telling him to be suspicious but his gut said that she was safe, and over the years, his gut had saved him from several sticky situations. Squashing the doubt in his mind, he offered her his arm once again, and this time she smiled even brighter.

          Hermione pulled back and looked at Remus with a thankful smile, showing how much she appreciated the hug through her tear stained eyes. Silently they walked back to the school. Words were not exchanged throughout the entire affair, but they both enjoyed the comfortable silence and the sounds of nature at night.

          For the first time since Hermione's arrival, she did not feel a desire to return home as soon as possible. It was something within Remus and within all of this Hogwarts that made her feel peaceful, and simply happy to just be here, an emotion lost to Hermione. She looked once more at Remus, and smiled inwardly to herself. A friendship was developing between the two of them, she felt. This was going to be a great friendship; a friendship that differed from the friendship that she shared with the girls. This one was not going to be based the mentor-student relationship like previously, but one of equals. This was a kind of friendship that was the most satisfying to have and lasted the longest, she was certain.

          As the pair trekked back to the castle looming before them, Hermione spoke. "Thank you, Remus."

          "For what?"

          "For helping me pick up the pieces of my puzzle."

          "Your puzzle?"

          "Yes. All the pieces are in a jumbled mess and it will take a long time to put them back together but I don't mind. I have all of them now and I don't have to worry about it anymore."

          Remus gave her a confused look, but she looked steadfastly ahead, and smiled contently.

End Chapter Six. To be continued.

**................................**

Authors' Notes:

(1) The song is "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones but in that imaginary realm where all things are possible (where Sirius is not dead and chocolate grows on trees), it is an original poem written by Sirius to woo Hermione.

(2) This song is "A Leap Of Faith" by Michelle Branch. Once again we come back to the imaginary realm and pretend that the time of the release of the song does correspond with the time Hermione went home for the summer for the last time.

(3) For further information on this theory, read the story "Civilized" by samvimes. The theory is the intellectual property of samvimes and we lay no claims to it. It was just too interesting a read (in Amelia's opinion) to not spread the word about. Go to the Astronomy Tower at fictionalley.org to check it out.

Once again, we know we're late but…there's not much to do about that. School has to come first. Otherwise we'd get in trouble and couldn't go on the computer at all. At least this time it's a pretty long chapter.

Finally, Amelia's sister made a cake (Mmmm, German chocolate) but she nicked it to hand out to all the lovely reviewers:

**Captain Oblivious** – At this rate you'll never get those chocolate stains out of your clothes. Thanks for the review, you loffly person, you!

**Rane2920072** – Sirius is not a totally jackass. But you have to admit when he was younger he had a huge ego. Don't worry though. We'll soften him down a bit towards the end. In the mean time – chocolate!

**Magic Crystal Rose** – Well, it'll take a while to get there but yeah, so do we.

**poetrychik** – Well, lucky for you because that's exactly what's going to happen.

**panda girl18181** – Of course there will be ships! And just a hint: Hermione going to date more than one Marauder. But don't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret. Wink, wink.

**MaisjetadoreSiriusNoir** – Oh my, with all the twitching and gargling, you sound like you have rabies. Have some chocolate dearie, just like Remus would have you do, and you'll feel all better! And thanks, for the comment on the characterization. We tried really hard to keep them original but within the confines that JKR set.

**MaisjetadoreSiriusNoir** – You, dear, are the best reviewer we know of. And one of the most humorous. We hope you'll continue to read and spot all our cock ups.

**Existence** – Ahhhh, you sexy biatch! We love you!

**Tara-Yo** – On the contrary, it might just end up being the opposite. We haven't decided exactly whether Hermione's going back to the future or not. Any suggestions?

**carosu** – Major thankies!

**Rana Eressea** – Thank you so much. Amelia says your story rocks too, way better than ours. And yes, it will be ship but we're not going to go out and say it. You have to figure it out for yourself. And by the way, you have a beautiful name. Totally love it. What does it mean and where does it come from?

**Mother Confessor** – Much heartfelt thanks. People come for the story but stay for the free food afterwards.

**Syron13** – Those boys definitely don't know. Even if some of them are jackasses (to use Rane2920072's word) they're still adorable and loveable. Except, for Peter. We're kind of apathetic about him. And Remus is going to slowly lose his suspicion as he gets to know her better. That is until…duh duh dah. Stay tuned.

By now, if you haven't figured it out, you should know that Amelia is obsessed with all things chocolate. For bribe purposes, you should she can't resist it for too long. From now on, it'll be your secret weapon against all evil author actions, like the use of cliffhangers.


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